At the Beginning
by Tallulah876
Summary: Set directly after Final Fantasy VII. As each struggle ends, a new one begins. AVALANCHE finds itself in a conflict almost as threatening as the last. cloti
1. Chapter One

_"In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends."  
Martin Luther King Jr. _

A burst of light. That was the last thing she could remember before her world exploded. What had happened? Had they lost? After all they went through... was this the end? Panic buzzed through her mind. _Am I dead?_ she thought. _Are we all...dead?_ A fierce desire to live struggled with her overwhelming weariness. Desperately, she searched for some sign that she was still alive. _Please...let me wake up...and find that everyone is ok..._she begged.

Abruptly she got her wish. And part of her wished for the sweet, numb darkness again as pain flared across her entire body. She could hear voices speaking as though from very far away. _Cloud? _she wondered feebly. _Oh God...someone help me..._ Focusing all her strength she struggled to move...Perhaps she was all alone and she was the only one who could help herself. She lifted her incredibly heavy eye-lids...and met cold, hard steel inches away from her face. _The Highwind..._she realized. _It must have crashed. Oh God...please let everyone else be alright... _Her eyes traveled downwards and she could see steel protruding from her side and blood. A cold sweat broke out on her body and she felt the chilling desperate need to fall unconscious. _I've lived throught worse...I have to be strong_, she told herself firmly.

With arms that felt far too weak to be her own, she struggled to push the metal off her body. It barely moved an inch. Dizziness fogged her brain at these feeble actions. She felt herself panting softly. She opened her mouth to call for help but her throat was too dry, and her body to weak to form the words. All that escaped was a low moan. Feeling all the pain, fear, and frusteration at her own weakness crashing down on her, she pushed her broken body to try again.

"He-elp.." she croaked despairingly.

She heard the voices around her stop for a brief moment.

"Tifa!" someone called from seemingly far away. "Is that you? Where are you?"

There were thundering footsteps that jarred her headache, coming towards her.

"Is she under there?" a soft, and frightened young voice questioned.

A gruff voice replied, "It seems so...help me get her out."

_Cid and Yuffie..._she thought with relief.

The sheet of metal that had her pinned to the ground was lifted and she felt cool, blessed, fresh air cross her face.

"Oh God..." she heard Cid mutter.

She felt a hand clutching her own and opened her eyes to Yuffie peering down into her face.

"Tifa?" she asked in a trembling voice. "Can you hear me?"

She whispered coarsly, "Yes...Is Cloud...is everyone alright?"

"Just worry about yourself right now." Cid said with unusual tenderness. "I'm gunna move you now ok?"

Pain flashed through her body again as she felt herself being lifted. Another moan escaped her before she could hold it back. She felt Cid tense.

"You okay kiddo?" he questioned, his voice unsteady.

Unable to answer, she nodded, an action that caused her brain to turn into jelly. She felt Cid beginning to walk and heard Yuffie's feet softly hitting the ground somewhere behind them. _I'm going to be fine, _she thought tiredly. Her mind weaved in and out of wakefulness...How wonderful would it be to just fall alseep? ...

"Tifa?" Yuffie's young voice said with a quaver. "Don't fall asleep..."

Next to her ear, she heard Cid's voice rumble in his chest. "Stay awake Tifa...you gotta stay awake. You hit your head pretty hard. If you fall asleep...you may not wake back up."

"I'm awake..." she choked out.

Her headache exploded again as she heard Yuffie shout, "Over here! We found her!"

Someone was running towards them. "Is she alright?" the panicked shout came.

A shadow fell across her face and she felt a trembling hand on her hair.

"Oh God...Is she-" a hoarse voice whispered.

Yuffie's frightened voice interrupted. "We found her pinned under some metal. Her head and side are cut open...we don't know how bad she is."

_I'm fine! _Tifa wanted to tell them. How she hated to hear them so scared and helpless! But she felt herself drifting again and she knew she was to weak to form any words.

"Here," that familiar voice said softly. "Give her to me."

Cid's arms shifted around her, and she felt herself being pulled into someone else's arms. Her head was cradled gently against a strong, familiar chest and sleep was becoming almost overwhelming. She breathed in shakily and a comforting scent filled her senses. _Cloud..._ she thought happily. _So he's alright. _

"Tifa?" Cloud said fearfully. "Can you hear me?"

She opened her mouth to speak, to tell him not to worry, but all that came out was another rasping moan.The arms around her shook.

"We have to get her over with the others..." Cloud said with a forced calm.

Yuffie's voice was small as she asked, "How are the others?"

"We think Barret's leg is broken...and Red's pretty cut up." Cloud replied quietly. "But no one's as bad as..."

His grip tightened on Tifa.

"Is Vincent back yet?" Cid asked quickly. "We need potions...all of our supplies was destroyed in the crash."

"He will be soon." Cloud replied.

Silence fell on them. Tifa felt herself being lulled by the steady footsteps and the steady heartbeat against her ear. _Gotta stay awake, _she reminded herself. _Cloud said potions were coming...just until then. I have to stay awake until then... _The walking stopped and she felt the warmth of a campfire nearby. Tifa heard a shaky sigh of relief rattle in Cloud's chest.

"Vincent!" he half-shouted. "Did you get the supplies?"

Tifa heard a cold,calm voice reply, "Yes. I've already given a potion to both Barret and Red. They are resting."

"There's still some left right?" Yuffie questioned loudly.

Vincent emotionless voice replied, "Yes."

"Thank God..." Cloud whispered. "Cid? Could you get-"

Cid cut Cloud off. "I'll be right back... let me grab them."

Tifa felt herself being laid out on a blanket. She could still hear Cloud and the others talking around her but the voices blurred together. The pain was still there...brutal and unforgiving as ever...but the relentless panic that had first plagued her mind was gone. Cloud and the others were alive, and she was going to get a potion any minute now. Just as the thought crossed her mind, she felt a hand support her neck and a warm liquid being poured down her parched throat. The sharp edges around the pain disappeared. Another poured down her throat. Her headache was now almost bearable. Another poured down her throat. She felt the pulling on her skin that signified her side wound was closing. And as the last poured down her throat, she opened her eyes as her mind felt gloriously clear of the pain that had fuzzed her mind ever since she woke up beneath that sheet of metal.

It was late at night and she was outside somewhere. The only light came from a campfire several feet away. Four worried and exhausted faces peered down into hers. Happiness filled her with warmth as she pulled her lips into a tired, but none-the-less, joyful smile and she squeezed the calloused hand that clutched her own. Several voices gleefully rang out at these unmissable signs of life.

"Tifa! You're okay! You're okay!" Yuffie sang, her voice regaining that youthful luster.

Cid's voice was jokingly stern. "Never worry me like that again missy!"

She even saw Vincent let a tight-lipped smile slip.

"Tifa..." she heard Cloud say with undeniable relief evident in his blue, mako eyes. "How are you feeling?"

She squeezed his hand and wearily she replied, "Better... can I sleep now please?"

Cloud laughed gently and pushed back her hair. "Yes you can sleep now."

With wonderous relief she closed her eyes and finally gave into the exhaustion as she drifted off into a peaceful, dreamless sleep.


	2. Chapter Two

_Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some people move our souls to dance. They awaken us to a new understanding with the passing whisper of their wisdom. Some people make the sky more beautiful to gaze upon. They stay in our lives for awhile, leave footprints on our hearts, and we are never, ever the same.  
Flavia Weedn _

When she awoke, the first thing Tifa noticed was that it was still dark. _Is it the same night?_ she wondered. _Or perhaps I've been sleeping for days and it's another night? _She felt fuzzy and disoriented, as she often did after consuming so many potions. She hoisted herself into a sitting postion despite the stiff soreness in her muscles. The fire was reduced to nothing but smoldering embers. Using the sparse light that the fire provided, she observed her surroundings. A small dark head poked out of a pile of blankets to her left...Yuffie. Then several feet to her left, Cid was sprawled out and snoring. On the other side of the fire, she could see Red and Barret, with his leg on a splint, sound asleep. And there was Vincent, propped against a tree breathing deeply. But where was...

_There he is..._she thought to herself. Cloud was sitting with his back facing the group, his legs dangling over a small cliff. He was the only one, besides her, who was still awake. Using her arms to help push herself up, Tifa hoisted herself onto her feet. Her legs shook violently, and her head swam for several seconds, but she regained her composure and shuffled over on wobbling legs. Silently she sat beside him and dangled her legs over the cliff next to his. His face was tilted downwards, and his eyes were closed, but he was awake.

"Cloud?" she said tentatively.

His eyes opened in shock as he was drawn out of his reverie. "Tifa?" he breathed soflty. "Tifa!"

He shifted sideways to face her and gripped her shoulders gently. His face was concerned as he looked her over critically. She saw his eyes narrow slightly as he focused on her side. Removing his hands from her shoulders he gently lifted up her shirt slightly. She felt herself shiver slightly as his fingertips gently brushed over her stomach and finally rested on tender red line that ran about five inches across her side.

"You okay?" he whispered hoarsly, rooting her to the spot with a piercing stare.

Finding herself quite unable to speak, Tifa nodded. Drawing his hand away from her side, Cloud glanced briefly at her face before looking back out into the dark, starless sky. A troubled look was ruffling his features.Gently, she placed a hand on his shoulder.

"How about you?" she said quietly. "Are you okay?"

He frowned slightly. "You had me...you had everyone worried."

She scooted closer. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

He turned his gaze towards her again, "Hey, no harm done, right?"

But she could see that he was stressed and unrested. Guiltily, she ducked under his arm and hugged him close. His body felt strained and tense at first, but he slowly relaxed and placed one hand on her hair and the other on the small of her back. In that brief moment, with his arms around her, and his heartbeat thumping in her ears, she felt all the burdens that usually rested on her shoulders, be lifted away. Cloud took a deep, shaking breath.

"It's all over," Tifa whispered, her breath tickling his neck. "Sephiroth's gone, meteor is gone, and we're still alive."

"I never thought we'd make it..." he said softly. "When I saw Cid carrying you...I almost thought you hadn't made it."

His arms tightened around her. She felt tears spring up in her eyes as she recalled a fuzzy memory of his panicked voice but she forced them back. Suddenly Cloud stiffened and pulled back from her and gently held her at arm length.

"But you shouldn't be up!" he scolded."You should be resting!"

Tifa placed her hands on her hips sternly. "What about you? You look like you haven't slept at all!"

"I'm fine!" Cloud said dissmissively.

She crossed her arms stubbornly. "I'm not resting unless you do!"

Sighing in defeat, Cloud hauled himself to his feet and offered a hand to her. Smiling, she took it and they headed back towards the campfire hand in hand. Yawning, Cloud stretched and practically collasped onto a pile of blankets. Tifa laid down gingerly and placed her head down on the soft blankets next to Cloud. The last thing she was aware of before falling asleep was Cloud curling up close to her back, as if to reassure himself that she was still there.

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A burst of sunlight poured through Tifa closed eyes, and pulled her out of her sleep. She could hear loud happy voices conversing around her. The first thing she saw when she opened her eyes, was Cloud sleepily scratching his head; he must have just awaken too.

"Good morning Tifa," he yawned.

"Good morning Cloud," she replied with a grin. "What time is-"

But she was interuppted by Yuffie's perky,youthful voice. "Heeyy! Look who all is up!"

Tifa turned her head quickly and was greeted with the faces of her companions, all smiling happily. She was relieved to see that Barret's leg was out of the splint and Red was awake, and seemingly, well. Cid, Vincent, and Yuffie all looked to be in fine condition too.

"So..." said Cid with mock casualness. "Did you two sleep well?"

Tifa and Cloud flushed and avoided looking at each other. Tifa chose to ignore this question along with Barrets loud guffaws and Yuffie's giggles. Red was smiling cautiously and she could have sworn she saw a twinkle in Vincent's eyes. But looking around, she felt as though someone was missing. Finally it hit her.

"Cait Sith!" she said. "Where is he?"

Everyone looked slightly down at this question.

"Destroyed in the crash," Vincent answered her in a monotone.

"Oh." she said sadly.

"Aw don' be sad Tifa." Barret told her. "He was jist a robot. The real Cait Sith is still alive somewhere."

"Yea..that's right!" she said half-heartedly.

"Actually..." Cloud began. "Shouldn't we find the real Cait Sith? We weren't exactly at the best terms with Shinra before it was destroyed...I think we'd better make sure we have at least one friendly connection before a new one rises."

Barret shook his head. "Marlene...I gotta make sure she's awright."

Cloud nodded to show he understood. "We're about three miles away from Kalm."

"What about everyone else?" Tifa asked softly.

Yuffie shuffled her feet. "I better go to Wutai. Gotta make sure my old man's okay." she muttered.

"I want to check up on Cosmo Canyon." Red said.

Cid looked apologetic. "I guess I need to go to Rocket Town."

Tifa felt her chest tightening but she smiled. "That's fine Cid."

"What about you Vincent?" Cloud asked quietly.

Vincent's face was impassive. "I have...things...I must come to terms with."

The group sat in a somber silence. Tifa looked down at the ground. She knew the group wouldn't be together forever...but it was barely two days after their final battle and they were already going their seperate ways. Yuffie was still shuffling her feet against the ground sadly and neither Barret or CId seemed to be able to lift their gaze from the ground. Even Vincent seemed a bit regretful.

"It's not like its goodbye forever." Tifa said softly. "We'll see each other again!"

Everyone looked up hopefully at this comment, but she could see reflected in everyone's eyes that they all knew the truth; nothing would ever be the same again. Tifa swallowed the lump in her throat and looked around at the people who had become her family. A heavy lonliness descended on her as she thought about being away from all the people she had come to love. But as she leaned close towards Cloud, she felt warmth at the thought that she wouldn't have to be lonely alone.

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Hours later, they had rounded up chocobo's for everyone. They had been avoiding this moment all day...but they had run out of reasons to delay. Red was the first to leave after telling them all that they were welcome in Cosmo Canyon whenever they wanted to stop by. Yuffie seemed abnormally subdued as she watched Red leave. Tifa pulled her into a friendly hug.

"Don't be a stranger!" Tifa whispered as they pulled away.

Yuffie wiped away a tear and in a poor impression of her normal perky self said, "Don't you think you can get rid of me so easily!"

After hugging everyone forcefully, Yuffie was on her chocobo and struggling not to turn as she headed off. Cid smiled mournfully.

"She's not all that bad..." he said softly.

"When she ain't stealin' our materia," Barret joked half-heartedly.

Vincent sighed sorrowfully. "I'd better be off."

Cloud look at him cautiously. "Will we be seeing you soon?"

"I don't plan on disappearing," he said with barely a trace of a smile.

All the guys shook hands but when he extended his hand to Tifa she merely rolled her eyes and slapped a kiss on his cheek.

"Stay away from that coffin!" she said half sternly, half tearfully.

With the slightest of nods he was gone. Now only Cid and Barret looked around akwardly and she knew it was time for them to go too. Sighing sadly she pulled them both into a hug and they both gave her a kiss on her cheek.

"Take care kiddo," Cid said ruffling her hair. "You too Cloud...and you Barret."

"Say hello to Shera for me!" Tifa yelled at his retreating back.

Barret sighed sadly. "I'll probably be in Kalm with Marlene for awhile. I know she'd like to see both of you."

"Of course we'll visit Barret!" Tifa told him. "You couldn't keep us away!"

Cloud smiled. "Besides, I wouldn't miss seeing you in your marshmellow pajamas for the world."

Barret tried to look offended but failed miserably. "Yea..well...I better be off. You better take care of Tifa fer me."

And then, he too, was gone. Tifa looked down sadly at her feet. "What are we going to do now?" she asked softly.

Cloud tried to smile at her. "Find the real Cait Sith I guess..."

"Yea..." Tifa said, trying to get back that old enthusiasm.

"Don't worry Tifa..." he told her. "We'll see them again."

She sighed. "I hope so..."

"Come on..." he said gently grabbing her hand. "Let's head towards Junon first."

They walked back towards the campfire together. The land around them seemed so large and empty now that everyone was gone. Tifa shivered and pulled close to Cloud. He placed a comforting arm around her waist. She buried her head into his shoulder.

"In the end..." she whispered softly. "It's always just you and me."

Cloud stroked her hair uncertainly. "Tifa...I...You're all I have in the world."

She looked up at him "You're all I have...but we'll always be there for each other, right?"

"Right!" he promised and pulled her into an embrace. "No matter what..."


	3. Chapter Three

_"A man can do only what a man can do. But if he does that each day he can sleep at night and do it again the next day."  
Albert Schweitzer _

_Junon prison..._

"Traitor!" Scarlet screeched.

Reeve closed his eyes and winced at her high pitched screeching. There were two guards, one on either side of him. There were handcuffs around his wrists. How did he ever manage to get in such a mess?

"What are we going to do with him?" Heidigger asked smiling with malice. "Let's execute him!"

Reeve shuddered at the delight in his voice. He looked around hopelessly, trying to find a compassionate face. Scarlet and Heidegger were definately not going to show him any mercy...he glanced at the Turks. Elena hated Scarlet...but Reno would do anything for money...and well...who knew what went through Rude's mind.

"I have a better idea!" Scarlet announced. "Let's use him as bait...for the his little AVALANCHE friends!"

"No..." Reno said, rolling his eyes. "They don't even know who Reeve is."

Scarlet eyed him. "Well then, you think of a way to get his little pals!"

Reno, Elena, and Rude exchanged glances. "How much money are we talking here?"

"Money!" Heidegger asked outraged. "What do you mean money?"

Elena rolled her eyes. "We hate both of you. You aren't getting a free job out of us."

Reno snickered.

"Fine..." Scarlet said. "If it's money you want...then thats what you'll get."

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"1000000 gil?" Elena asked incrediously. "They're giving us one million gil each? Just to capture Cloud? What about the rest of AVALANCHE?"

Reno rolled his eyes. "Elena, it's not like it's an easy job. Capturing Cloud? Alive? If they offered any less...I wouldn't do it. Besides...she offered an additional five hundred thousand for any additional members we managed to capture..."

He took an unceremonious swig from a bottle and wiped his mouth on the sleeve of his jacket. With luck, this would be the last job he did for Scarlet. _Disgusting woman,_ he thought savagly. _Almost as bad as Rufus._

"So we're really doing it?" Elena said timidly.

"Yes, we're doing it!" Reno snorted. "How the hell else are we supposed to get money?"

Elena frowned. "But...can we even do it?"

Rude and Reno exchanged glances.

"Don't be so weak Elena." Reno snapped.

Elena scowled. "So then what's the plan?"

"..." Rude shot another glance at Reno.

Reno took another swig of his bottle. "Let's start in Midgar."

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Heidegger stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Can we trust the Turks?"

"If they want the money enough, they do what we ask." Scarlet said with an unpleasant laugh.

"Hmm..." Heidegger grumbled. "So they're going to get Cloud for us...but how are we going to get the rest of them? It's possible that they'll wrangled in one or two others...but there's no way they'll manage to get all of AVALANCHE for us."

Scarlet cast a conspicuously evil look at Reeve.

"Well obviously," she began. "We'll have to turn public against AVALANCHE, and towards us."

Heidegger's eyes glinted. "And how are we going to do that?"

"Simple...all the people of the slums need is one more blow after the devastation of meteor and then we'll come in to save the day. As we're helping them out, giving those pathetic people a new Midgar to rot in, we'll blame the incident on AVALANCHE."

Heidegger chortled amusedly as Reeve's face darkened in anger.

"So..." Heidegger said with mock casualness. "What did you have in mind?"

Scarlet smiled, full of evil intents.

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The sun was just beginning to set, and a serene orange glow was covering the plains. Tifa, too anxious to enjoy the splendid view, paced back and forth. What to do? Where to begin? Biting her lip, she turned to face Cloud, to see if he was having any ideas. He too looked like he was at a loss of where to start. _Man! _she thought in frusteration. _Why didn't we find out who he really was while we had the chance?_

"Midgar..." Cloud said slowly. "Cait Sith may have worked for Shinra, but he cared for the people of the slums..."

Tifa nodded. "Maybe he's helping those in Midgar...who survived."

"Shall we start there?" Cloud asked.

"I suppose..." Tifa said with uncertainty. "We don't have any better idea...and while we're there, I'm sure we'll be needed in Midgar."

Cloud looked down sadly. "Midgar got hit the hardest. I wonder how many people survived?"

Tifa shrugged her shoulders hopelessly. It seemed almost impossible to her that many people would have survived the devastation of meteor...but she wouldn't give up hope yet. If there were people in need there, she'd do what she could for them.

"Let's go," she said.

Cloud handed her a chocobo. "If we start now, we can get there before dark."

Jumping on the backs of their chocobos, they set out towards Midgar. They rode in silence, exchanging nervous glances every now and then. They were hopeful that they would find Cait Sith, but frightened about what kind of disaster there would be in Midgar. The heavy, comforting weight of their weapons rested on their bodies, but though they could protect from physical wounds, their weapons and armor wouldn't be able to do anything against the blow to their hearts they'd receive upon arriving in Midgar.

Clouds of dust and smoke hazed their vision as they dismounted from their chocobos. The city was completely desolate. They could hear shouts of pain and fear coming from all directions. Tifa felt herself shaking. _This is horrible..._she thought, her mind feeling numb. Side-by-side, they began walking through the devastation unsure of where to start. People sat on the side of the streets, all of them nursing wounds. Tifa's throat tightened. How many families were torn apart...how many people had lost love ones? As they turned a corner into Sector Two, they bothed gasped in unison.

Nearly all the buildings were ablaze. Black smoke poured thickly off the burning buildings, stinging Tifa's eyes and burning her throat. _Nibelheim..._she thought. _This is just like Nibelheim. _She felt frozen in place. Numbly she turned her head towards Cloud. He, too, seemed to be frozen. People were running out of the Sector in swarms. Mezmorized, they watched the panic for a minute, but then Cloud seemed to snap out of it and he grabbed the arm of a passing man.

"Why is the whole Sector on fire?" he asked him.

The man looked at the flames in fear before turning his face to Cloud's. "No one knows...the flames started hours ago in the last Sector, and they've spread all the way to Sector Two. It's only a matter of time before they reach Sector One."

He wriggled out of Cloud's grip and ran. Tifa and Cloud exchanged horrified looks.

"All the other Sectors have been burnt out?" Tifa said weakly.

Cloud shook his head, unable to reply. They were too late...but perhaps not for everyone.

"Let's go see if there's anyone we can help." he said, sheilding himself from the smoke. "Before the flames get out of control."

Holding their shirts over their mouths and noses, they walked deliberately against the masses of people fleeing. Tears sprung in their eyes, not just from the smoke, as the panicked screams mounted higher and higher.

"Oh God..." Tifa whispered. "This is awful."

As they walked through the flaming slums, a man's grevious screams caught their attention. Unlike everyone around him, he wasn't running. He was standing outside a blazing five story building, sobbing wretchedly. Upon spotting Cloud and Tifa, he sprinted in their direction and all but collasped at their feet.

"Sir...Miss..." he croaked in a feeble voice. "My wife and grandchildren are in that building...please..."

Tifa felt her eyes well with tears and placed a hand on the old man's shoulder. "We'll do what we can," she promised.

Cloud examined the building through squinted eyes.

"Where in the building would they be?" he asked.

"Third floor," the old man rasped. "Please..."

Knowing they had little time to waste, Cloud and Tifa knocked down the door and sprinted into the burning building. The heat scorched their faces, and the smoke was almost unbearable, but they quickly spotted the staircase and were lucky enough to find an unblocked path to the third floor.

"Do you see anyone?" Tifa questioned with a cough.

Cloud shook his head. "We have to hurry...this building is going to collasp any minute now."

Desperately, they searched the floor. Coughing from the smoke, they grew more and more distressed at each door they opened. Finally Tifa placed her hand on a wooden door and with relief announced-

"Cloud! This door isn't warm! There aren't any flames behind it. They must be in here."

He was at her side in a split second, and together they broke down the door. The smoke was less thick in here but they still had to squint through the darkness to find anyone.

"Hello?" a frightened child's voice squeaked. "Who's there?"

A small girl of about seven emerged, her skinny arms wrapped around an infant boy. There faces were sooty, and they were frightened out of their wits, but they were alive.

"Thank God..." Tifa sighed in relief.

"Is there anyone else here?" Cloud asked quickly. "Where's your grandmother?"

The little girl's lip trembled violently. "Grandma went upstairs to visit someone."

Remembering the smoldering staircase that led to the upper level, Tifa's heart swelled with pain. Blinking back tears she extended her arms towards the little girl.

"Here," she said softly. "Hand me your brother. We're going to get you out of here."

Luck must have been on their side, because they managed to get both children out to their grandfather. Half overwhelmed with grief for his wife, and with joy that his grandchildren had been returned to him safely, the old man thanked them graciously before running off. But not everyone was so lucky. As they went farther through Sector Two, the number of people they were able to help grew fewer and fewer until they were forced to turn back, for their own safety.

They trudged back to Sector One, their hearts sunken somewhere around their feet. So many had died in Sector Two...they could hardly begin to coprehend the number of deaths in all the other Sectors. The weariness in their hearts and bodies was almost unbearable. But just when they thought nothing could get worse, they entered Sector One.

A crowd of beaten down refugees filled the streets. Many were covered in soot, burns, and various other injuries. All of them were downhearted. But what made Cloud and Tifa stop in their tracks was who they were all staring at. In front of the woebegone crowd, stood Scarlet and Heidegger surrounded by Shinra guards. They stopped abruptly, and Cloud grabbed Tifa's arm and pulled her down behind some rubble.

"What are they doing here?" he whispered, voice hoarse from smoke.

Tifa shrugged and peered out from behind the rubble at them. Though she thought it impossible, her heart sank lower in her chest as they began to speak.

"People of the slums!" Scarlet boomed. "Midgar has been destroyed, but with your help, we can build a new Midgar somewhere new."

Heidegger spread his arms to the crowd. "With all the damage done here from meteor, and then this terrible fire...we'll have to start anew."

"Who started this fire?" came the shout from the crowd.

The tired, pain-filled voices rose up, "Yes! How did the fire start? Tell us that!"

Scarlet and Heidegger exchanged a devious look.

Scarlet spoke in a deadly, low voice. "It was AVALANCHE."


	4. Chapter Four

_"What is left when honor is lost?"_

_Publilius Syrus_

Tifa and Cloud froze at this announcement. _No..._Tifa thought desperately. A shocked silence rippled through the crowd and it wasn't long until the low mutters escalated into angry shouts.

"AVALANCHE! AVALANCHE did this!"

"My children died in that fire! Wasn't it enough that they killed my wife when they dropped the plate in Sector Seven?"

"Bastards...just when we were trying to recover from meteor..."

Scarlet and Heidegger had looks of triumph on their faces. The crowd was theirs. They would do anything for them as long as they promised to kill AVALANCHE. Tifa and Cloud watched the crowd's angry shouts with numb disbelief. Tifa could feel herself shaking with hate, fear, and sadness; three of the darkest emotions a human can experience. She turned to Cloud, feeling unable to do anything but sit in shock at the sudden turn of events. He looked sick to his stomach.

"Come on Tifa..." he whispered. "It's not safe for us to be here...we have to get out somehow."

_Easier said than done, _she thought wryly. But nonetheless, she took his hand and allowed herself to be pulled into a crowd of people who would like to kill her more than anything. The hate pouring in on all sides was terrifying, but luckily, the hate was distracting enough to allow her and Cloud to manipulate through the crowd. FInally, they pushed their way through into an alleyway that would lead them out of the Midgar ruins. Sending one last glance towards the hateful mob, Tifa bursted into a sprint, trying to put as much distance between her and the people who wanted to kill her, as possible. Cloud was close at her heels.

Outside, they collapsed on the ground to catch their frenzied breathing. Their chests heaving, they rested their exhausted bodies for one brief glorious moment. But they knew that they truly couldn't spare much more than a moment, and so, they hauled themselves onto their weary feet. They stood in silence for a second before turning towards one another.

"What now?" Tifa asked with a tremor.

Cloud ran a distressed hand through his spiked hair. "Let's just get the hell out of here first."

"The chocobos we caught earlier are gone." Tifa said gravely.

"We'll have to go to the Chocobo Farm." Cloud said. "Hopefully our gold chocobos are all still there."

Tifa nodded quietly and they began to walk. Now that they were away from the bright flames that filled Midgar, the night was dark as velvet. Feeling exhausted, physically and emotionally, Tifa resisted the desire to lay down on the soft grass and fall asleep.

"We're about there," Cloud told her comfortingly.

Tifa nodded to show she had heard him. "Where will we go?"

"I don't know..." Cloud admitted. "But we're all in trouble...we have to warn the others."

"Barret and Marlene!" Tifa wailed in realization. "We have to tell them first...they're the closest to Midgar."

"We'll go to Kalm first." Cloud assured her.

In a miserable silence, they approached the Chocobo Farm. There were no lights on in the house, and silently they agreed to get their chocobos without waking anyone. Stealthily, they entered the barn. Only two stalls were occupied.

"The others must have already taken their chocobos..." Cloud muttered.

Tifa ran over to the farthest stall. With a sigh of relief she saw that her chocobo, Boko, was alive and well.

"Hey there," she said softly, burrying her head into his soft, comforting feathers.

"Wark!" warked Boko in greeting.

With good grace, she pulled herself onto his back. Cloud was already on top of Sunny, his chocobo. As silently as they came, they left the barn. Side-by-side their chocobos carried themtowards Kalm. _At least I'm off my feet, _Tifa thought sleepily. _I hope Barret, Marlene, and the others are okay..._

"Look Tifa," Cloud breathed softly. "There's Kalm."

Tifa yawned loudly. "You remember which house?"

"I think so." he repiled with an equally loud yawn.

As they reached the streets of Kalm, they dismounted and after tying their chocobos on a post, walked towards the house on wobbly legs. The streetlights gently illuminated the streets, and Tifa was happy to see that Kalm was overall, undamaged. Outside of the door, they hesitated.

"Should we knock?" Cloud asked.

Tifa nodded. "Might as well..."

Cloud hit his fist against the door three times. For several moments they stood in silence, but then they heard movement behind the door. The door swung open, and they were face to face with Barret.

"Now when I told you two you could visit, I didn't expect-" Barret began.

He stopped short when he saw their soot covered, tense, and weary faces.

"Wha' the hell happen'd to you two?" he bursted out.

"Shh!" Cloud told him before pushing him inside.

Tifa followed and closed the door behind her and locking it. Barret look bewildered.

"Wha's goin' on?" he asked warily.

Tifa and Cloud glanced at each other quickly before Cloud answered.

"You have to get out of here with Marlene."

Together they gave him a quick summary of what they had heard and seen in Midgar.

"Shit..." Barret cursed. "Damn Shinra..."

"Couldn't agree more..." Cloud muttered exhaustedly.

"I'll get Marlene while you ready your chocobo." Tifa offered.

"Awright..." Barret agreed. "But we have to wake Elmyra up too. This is her house ya know."

There was a moment of pained silence at the mention of their dead friend, Aeris' mother.

"Okay..." Tifa said softly. "I'll make sure she wakes up too."

Ignoring her weak legs, Tifa quickly took the stairs up to the second floor. Quietly she slipped into a bedroom on the right side of the hallway. There was a rather large bed against the wall with a rather small brown head poking out from under the blankets. Tifa smiled and gently shook Marlene's tiny shoulder.

"Marlene...it's me, Tifa." she said gently. "Wake up sweetie."

Marlene sleepily opened her eyes. "Tifa? Is that you?"

"Yes, it's me silly!" she replied with a gentle laugh.

"Tifa!" Marlene shouted and propelled herself into her arms. "Tifa! Tifa!"

"Shh!" she hushed her tenderly. "Go wake up Miss Elmyra and bring downstairs okay?"

Marlene's brown eyes sparkled in the dark. "Okay Tifa! I sure missed you!"

"I missed you too." she told her and gave her another quick hug before sending her into Elmyra's room.

Smiling at Marlene's happiness, Tifa descended the stairs slowly. She sat on the sofa and pulled her legs up under her, savoring the softness of the cushions. _I'll just rest my head for a minute, until everyone comes back,_ she told herself as she placed her head on the pillow. But the exhaustion of the day began wearing down on her, and she felt her eyelids drooping until she was in a deep sleep.

Barret and Cloud re-entered the livingroom after getting together Barret's chocobo.

"Aaah look at that," Barret said amusedly. "Sleepin' like a baby."

Cloud smiled at Tifa's form, curled up on the sofa like a cat. That smiled faded when he remembered that he would have to wake her up soon so that they could go on another exhausting chocobo ride. He was jarred from these thoughts, however, by footsteps coming down the steps. Marlene was leading a confused-looking Elmyra down the stairs by the hand. He felt his heart lurch guiltily.

"Cloud." Elmyra said quietly. "I'm glad to see you're well."

Cloud hung his head. "You've heard about..."

"Yes," she said sadly placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "But she loved you all very much. She wouldn't want you to wallow in sadness for her."

"She wouldn't want you to either." Barret told her gently.

Elmyra wiped her eyes and gave them all a shaky smile. "Don't you all worry about me."

Marlene attatched herself to her father's legs and stared up at him adoringly. He picked her up, looking a bit apologetic. From her perch on his shoulder, Marlene focused on Cloud.

"Hullo Cloud!" she said smiling innocently.

He returned her smile. "Hello Marlene."

Marlene swung her legs happily against her father's shoulder and asked, "Why are Cloud and Tifa here? Are we having a party?"

"No Marlene...we ain't havin' a party..." he said slowly. "We haveta go away."

Elmyra shot him a sharp look. "But you just came back to her!"

"Marlene's gotta come with me this time." he told her.

"Shinra has everyone after us." Cloud informed Elmyra quietly. "It's not safe for Marlene to be here anymore."

Elmyra nodded sadly. "I understand."

Barret sighed ruefully. "We best be off."

Cloud nodded and reluctantly proceeded to wake Tifa up.

"Tifa..." he whispered. "Come on Tifa...you have to get up. We gotta go."

Tifa groaned sleepily. _Not yet..._ she thought drowsily. Cloud gently shook her shoulder.

"It's time to go Tifa..."

Unwillingly, she opened her eyes and sat up on the sofa. She yawned so widely her jaw cracked.

"Sorry guys," she apologized, embarassed. "I didn't mean to fall asleep."

"It's okay Tifa," Barret told her. "You two looked like you were gunna collapse on the spot anyways."

Tifa smiled and nodded, somehow feeling more tired than she was before she fell asleep. Stiffly, she stood up and stretched her tired muscles.

"Are we leaving now?" she asked softly.

Cloud nodded. "The sooner, the better."

They all bid farewell to Elmyra, who hugged them all.

"Be careful," Elmyra whispered wiping away a tear.

They promised her they would and quietly left the house. The streets of Kalm were still empty and faintly lit. Their chocobos were waiting patiently at the entrance to Kalm.

"Papa?" Marlene asked frightenedly. "Where we going?"

"I dunno sweetheart..." he told her with a glance at Cloud.

Cloud ran a hand through his hair. "We have to find somewhere we can stay. Me and Tifa aren't going to make it much farther without sleep."

"Fort Condor..." Tifa said weakly. "They owe us one."

Barret and Cloud silently agreed. They sat up on their chocobos. Marlene settled in on Barret's lap and excitedly tugged a few chocobo feathers. Quietly but quickly they ordered their chocobos out into the dark night. Sleep was now becoming a desperate need. Cloud and Tifa's heads drooped down to their chests several times before they'd jerk back up, only for their eyes to begin closing again. By the time they saw the towering figure of Fort Condor, dawn was falling.

Dismounting, they led their chocobos up to the entrance, Barret carrying a sleeping Marlene in his arms. They tied their chocobos outside and entered the fort. A snoozing guard jerked awake at their entrance.

"Hey...you guys are..." he said surprised. "You're the ones that helped us out that one time..."

"That's right," Barret said. "We need a favor."

"We need a safe place to stay for tonight at least." Cloud told them wearily.

Tifa yawned. "Shinra has people after us. They blamed us for the fire in Midgar."

"Fire?" the guard asked blankly. "There was a fire in Midgar?"

"Yes there was..." Cloud said shortly.

The guard looked curious but noting their exhaustion, told them, "There's an empty room with enough beds downstairs. You all rest up. We'll make sure Shinra doesn't find you."

They thanked him and descended into the room below. The three beds against the wall were the most welcoming sight they had ever seen.

"You think we're really safe here?" Tifa asked sluggishly.

Cloud yawned and moved towards a bed. "I hope so...because if not...I'll sleep through whatever happens."

Tifa and Barret laughed softly. Barret slipped Marlene into a bed and laid down beside her. Tifa looked longingly at a bed before laying under the covers. Seconds away from sleep, she heard Cloud whisper from the bed next to hers.

"Night Tifa..."

She smiled against her pillow. "Night Cloud."


	5. Chapter Five

_"When kindness has left people, even for a few moments, we become afraid of them as if their reason had left them. When it has left a place where we have always found it, it is like shipwreck; we drop from security into something malevolent and bottomless."  
Willa Cather_

Reno, Elena, and Rude trudged through the desolate remains of Midgar. There was not much to see besides piles of ash. The streets were completely abandoned, and the remaining smoke made the air so unbearable bitter, that they had to walk with their arms over their mouths. Reno glanced back and forth between Rude's impassive face and Elena's confused one.

"What happened here?" he muttered.

Rude shrugged. Reno frowned and squinted his eyes through the dust and devastation, looking for someone who might be able to tell them what had happened.

"There's no one here..." Elena whispered. "You don't think everyone is..."

"They can't all be dead." Reno snapped.

Elena scowled at him. "Then where is everyone?"

"They were relocated." Reno said confidently.

Rude cast him a doubtful stare.

"What?" he asked. "Apparently meteor wrecked Midgar so badly, Scarlet and Heidegger cleared the area and burnt it down."

Elena looked sceptic. "You really think that Scarlet and her little lapdog would go through that much effort..."

"Are you suggesting that they burned it down with the people still inside?" Reno asked.

"Don't act like such an naive idiot!" Elena snarled. "You've worked at Shinra how long? Did they clear out the people of Sector Seven before you set the bomb that sent the plate crushing down on them?"

Reno glared at her in silence before turning away. Yes, he knew she was right. But sometimes, it was easy to forget that he worked for the kind of people that killed without second thought...though he rarely found it easy to forget that he, himself had become that kind of person.

"Point taken," he said grudgingly.

"But why..." Elena said. "I knew Scarlet was an evil bitch...but burn down an entire city...of innocent and probably severely hurt people?"

The trio stood in silence, pondering. Reno found himself dwelling on the Sector Seven mission. They had destroyed innocent people and then...blamed AVALANCHE. Tilting his head slightly, he recalled what had happened just after meteor was summoned. Shinra had...blamed AVALANCHE.

"I think I've found a pattern," he muttered sardonically.

"What?" barked Elena.

Reno raised his voice. "What does Shinra always do whenever they needed the public swayed towards them?"

Elena pondered this for a moment before her eyes widened in realization.

"They blame AVALANCHE." Rude grunted.

Reno nodded grimly. "Exactly."

Elena looked sad as she surveyed the chilling tragedy that had taken place here. _So much death..._she thought despairingly. _After I get the money from Scarlet...I'm done with her..._

"So we're still going to get Cloud for her?" she said, forcing a quaver out of her voice.

"Of course we are!" Reno growled. "This doesn't change anything!"

Elena observed his anger quietly. "You do know...that if we do this mission for her, she'll think that all she has to do to turn us into her little puppets, is offer us money. We'll be doing the same sort of things we were before."

_I hate it when Elena makes good points..._Reno thought grumpily. _No...stop listening to her. You need this money...It's just this one last time. Do the dirty, get the money, and you're done._

"We need the money!" he shouted at her. "Just this one last time. Then we're through."

Elena sighed in defeat and then, again, Reno, Elena, and Rude were engulfed in silence. Reno felt a guilty lurch in his stomach. His parents had been alcoholics...and he had heard "just this one last time" enough to know what it really meant. Angrily, he crushed his guilt. _Goddammit, we need this money! _he thought with an accompanying curse.

"So..." Elena said quietly. "How are we going to do this."

Reno looked at Elena briefly, then Rude. "We're playing dirty."

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_Tifa laid in her bed, only just awake, and wondered blearily what had awaken her. Pushing the covers off her body, she swung her legs over the side of the bed. An acrid scent filled her lungs and sent her into a coughing fit. Her mind buzzed with confusion and shock._

_"Smoke?" she whispered petrified. "But...what's burning?"_

_The answer would be one that would terrify her for years to come. As she swung open her backdoor, it was almost as if it were day, the flames were so bright. And, oh, the pain...the pain of seeing 15 years worth of memories burnt to the ground. The pain of seeing the bodies of the people you grew up with, strewn across the ground carelessly. And the pain of crouching behind a bush, hiding like a helpless coward, as the home that she loved and knew was lit ablaze. _

_"Was that..Sephiroth?" Tifa asked herself. _

_But she stopped pondering the answer as she saw her father running towards the Nibel Mountains. _

_"Papa!" Tifa cried. "Where are you going? Wait for me! I'm coming!" _

_It was a like a bright ray of sunshine in the midst of a hurricane. Her hometown may have been destroyed...her neighbors and friends wrere dead...but her father was alive! As long as they had each other, they would make it through. That's what her father always told her...when she caught up with him, she would hug him, and he'd kiss her on the cheek and say "We'll make it through this together Tifa..." and she'd tell him she loved him and...and..._

Tifa awoke with a sputtering gasp. She wondered for a moment why her face was damp with tears, and why she was covered in a cold sweat. Then, she remembered the nightmare. _Why does it have to haunt me tonight..._she thought, distressed. _I always seem to have it when I need sleep the most. _She rubbed her eyes furiously, trying to clear her mnd of the last time she saw her father alive. Amazing how it could still hit her like this after so many years.

She shook her head wearily and laid back down. _I should try to get more sleep..._she thought. But as she tossed and turned for a few moments, she realized that she would not be sleeping anymore. Sighing resignedly, she stood up. The room was windowless and dark, but she could make out the sleeping figures of Cloud, Barret, and Marlene. Silently, she tip-toed out the door and pushed it shut behind her.

The inside of Fort Condor was filled with orangish-pink sunlight. _We must have slept all day, _Tifa mused. _Sunset already... _Three men who were quietly discussing something at the table, snapped their heads up when they heard her enter the room. Tifa clasped her hands behind her back, and smiled shyly.

"Good morning!" one said cheerfully. "Or should I say, good evening?"

Tifa laughed softly. "Hello. Thank you for letting us rest here."

"Anytime!" another replied. "Are the others still asleep?"

"Yes...would it be okay if we let them sleep longer?" Tifa asked a bit anxiously.

The third man, the one who had let them in, nodded with a grin. "That's fine. I was surprised you all were still standing you looked so tired."

Tifa thanked him again, and then let them all return to their conversation. She was relieved they hadn't questioned her about the fire and why Shinra was after them. Of course they'd tell them eventually but...she didn't feel quite up to it right yet, especially after her nightmare. Absently, she stretched her arms out in front of her.

Seeing the soot on her arms, she shivered. All the sudden she felt an urgent need to bathe. It wasn't that she couldn't stand being dirty...it was the cinders that bothered her. Remembering the terrible fire in Midgar yesterday, and the terrible fire in Nibelheim five years ago, she couldn't tolerate feeling ashes on her skin. She gritted her teeth.

"Excuse me..." she said politely to the man closest to her. "Is there somewhere I can get cleaned up?"

The man nodded and led her to a bathroom. Tifa sighed in relief at the sight of the large bathtub. She wrinkled her nose as she striped off her clothes. Disgustedly, she realized she hadn't bathed since their final battle with Sephiroth. Her clothes were ripped, dirty, and bloodstained. Smiling sadly, she folded her clothes and gingerly placed her fighting gloves on top. _I'm going to have to get new clothes..._she thought as she sunk into the water.

The water became dirtied quickly. Tifa scrubbed roughly at her arms and legs, cleaning through layers of dirt. She gazed sadly at the ashes as they swirled in the bath water. _To me...they were just ashes...but to someone else. _She blinked tears out of her eyes. _To someone else...they were once their whole world. _Fingering the long scar that cut across her chest, and finally acknowlegding the scars that were below the surface, Tifa let the tears slide down her face, until they fell into the bath tub where they swirled with the ashes.


	6. Chapter Six

_"The dead cannot cry out for justice; it is a duty of the living to do so for them." _

_Lois McMaster Bujold_

Cloud woke up abruptly and jumped to his feet so fast, his head spun. He grabbed his head and sunk back onto the bed as he remembered where he was. _I hate waking up in a strange place..._he thought grouchily. Slowly he examined the dark room to discover he was alone. Feeling a bit embarassed for being the last one up, he hauled himself to his feet and pushed open the door gently.

Barret, Marlene, and three men sat at a table. Barret was immersed in conversation with the three men with Marlene bouncing on his lap. They all turned towards him as they heard the gentle click of the door as it closed. Marlene bounded off her fathers lap and latched herself around his legs.

"Cloud! Cloud!" she sang happily. "There's a big bird on top of here! Did you see?"

Cloud smiled and detached her a bit akwardly. "Hello Marlene, yes I've seen the bird."

She smiled adoringly up at him and opened her mouth with the intention of chattering non-stop, but her father interrupted her.

"Marlene, leave Cloud alone." he said amusedly. "He jus' woke up. He don't need you botherin' him."

Cheerfully, she scampered back over to her father's lap. The three men laughed as the little girl began bouncing on his lap again. _At least someone's having fun..._Cloud thought. He turned his gaze away from the table and searched the room. It had clearly just become dark. The little room was lit by candles, but was missing someone...

"Where's-" Cloud began.

"Tifa's outside." Barret answered before he finished.

Cloud nodded and then turned towards the ladder to go talk but Barret stopped him.

"There's a bathroom if you wanna git cleaned up..." he said pointedly.

Cloud felt midly offended. "I don't smell ba-" he began.

But then, a bit sheepishly, he remembered that he hadn't bathed for...well a long time.

"Yea...okay." he grumbled.

The man who had let them enter the night before stood up. "Here, I'll show you where it is."

Gratefully, Cloud followed him.

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Tifa tilted her head back and looked up at the gloriously clear sky. She drew her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. The night was chilly, and she could feel goosebumps forming on her legs and arms. Her hair was still damp from her bath and she shivered against the breeze but she disregarded it. She felt truly at peace in two places...under the stars...and with Cloud.

The familiar constellations twinkled down on her and she closed her eyes briefly, completely trusting that they would still be there when she opened her eyes. _This is the same sky from seven years ago that night at the well...and from the night Nibelheim burnt down... _She opened her eyes to look at the stars again. _These stars saw my mother die...they saw Papa die...they saw Aeris die...they've seen every bit of my life, every bruise, every scrape. _She shook her head to clear her mind of such depressing thoughts. _Why am I thinking like this? _She found it hard to cheer herself up.

Her thinking was interrupted by soft footsteps. She closed her eyes, already knowing who it was.

"Hey," she whispered as he sat down with a muffled thump.

"Hey," he said softly. "What are you doing out here?"

"Thinking..." she replied briefly.

He examined her closely in the starlight. She too, must have cleaned up. Her long dark hair was wet and like him, was looking a bit uncomfortable in her ragged clothes. Her eyes were closed and she looked...sad. Cloud frowned.

"What's wrong?" he said softly.

She opened her eyes but avoided his gaze.

"Nothing..." she muttered. "I just..."

Tifa sighed helplessly and fell backwards so she was looking straight up at the sky. A second later, Cloud laid next to her and turned his face towards her.

"You know you can tell me." he told her gently.

She continued to gaze at the stars and sighed again.

"I guess..." she began. "I just thought everything would be over after the fight with Sephiroth. I think that's the only thing that kept me going...the conviction that after that, the fighting would all end. But now...I'm not so sure it will."

Cloud sighed. "I know what you mean. Sometimes it feels like it will never end."

They fell back into silence. Cloud couldn't suppress the feeling that Tifa wasn't telling him everything.

"Is that all?" he asked softly.

She sat back up and drew her knees to her chest.

"I had a bad dream last night." she admitted faintly.

He sat up too and gently turned her face towards him, forcing her to meet his gaze.

"What about?" he asked gently.

Her voice reminded Cloud of a small child's as she replied, "My Papa...that night five years ago."

Cloud's face pinched immediately. He had been haunted by his own version of the nightmare for countless nights. His mother laying dead on the floor of their home...Tifa lying bleeding on the floor in the reactor.

"It's just..." Tifa began shakily. "We've already lost so much. What more can they take from us? Don't we deserve to try and regain what we lost?"

It took him a minute to realize she was crying. With a painful lurch in his chest, he pulled her close. She hid her face in the crook of his neck and he could feel the dampness of her tears. With a tenderness that usually didn't come naturally to him, he stroked her long, dark hair. Her skin felt stone cold as she slid her arms up around his neck, and her whole body was shivering.

"It'll be okay Tifa..." he whispered, pulling her closer to warm her.

"For us maybe..." she said, her lips brushing his skin as she replied. "But for Papa...for your mother...for Aeris...and for everyone who died in the fire yesterday..."

Pain flashed through his heart at this. His arms tightened around Tifa who was now all but sitting in his lap.

"It's too late for all of them..." he said quietly. " But it's not too late for us Tifa. We still have a chance to set everything right for them, since they can't do it themselves...They'd want us to be happy."

"You're right..." Tifa whispered.

They sat in silence, Cloud's arms wrapped around Tifa, as if trying to protect her from the world, and the harsh truth that some people never got their second chance. Like...Aeris. A sigh escaped Cloud as he thought of their friend who had died to save them. They had known her for such a short amount of time but she had made such an impact on all of their lives.

"I miss her." Tifa said softly.

"I know you do." he said, resting his cheek atop her hair. "We all do."

"I don't understand..." she said breathily. "Why does all this hurt just as bad as it did five years ago?"

Cloud pulled her away slightly so he could look her in the eye.

"Because you have a big heart." he told her seriously.

She ducked her head back into his shoulders and tightened her grip around his neck. But against his skin, finally, he felt her smile.

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Rude examined the intimate scene a bit uncomfortably. Scratching his head, he turned away and slipped back into the dark before they could notice them. He mounted his chocobo and began heading back to Reno and Elena. With one hand, he grabbed his PHS and dialed Reno's number.

"Reno here..." the voice on the phone drawled lazily.

"...This is Rude..." he replied.

"Heeyy..." the voice immediately became more interested. "Elena! Come here, Rude's on the phone. So did you find anything?"

Rude cleared his throat. "...I found Cloud."

"Yes!" Reno yelled. "Well where is he then?"

"...Fort Condor."

"How do you know? Surely the idiot wasn't frolicking around outside the fort." Reno snickered.

Rude winced at the thought of Cloud frolicking. "...No...he was on top of the tower."

"Hmm..." Reno mused. "Was he alone?"

"...The Lockheart woman was with him."

Rude heard Reno cackle across the phoneline. "Excellent...there's one million five hundred thousand gil in the sack! And better that it's that Tifa chick...he's making this all too easy for us."

"..." said Rude.

"Yea..well..." Reno said sounding less sure now. "Just get back so we can get this over with."

Rude clicked off the PHS and sped up his chocobo. He, too, wanted this over with quickly.


	7. Chapter Seven

_"It is the nature of ambition to make men liars and cheats, to hide the truth in their breasts, and show, like jugglers, another thing in their mouths, to cut all friendships and enmities to the measure of their own interest, and to make a good countenance without the help of good will."  
__Kenneth Tynan_

The following morning, Cloud, Tifa, Barret, Marlene, and the guard from the previous night were all huddled around the table. The other two men were busy with guard duty, but he was going to spend time with his wife and child who lived in the lower level of the fort. They all sat in silence, eating breakfast. Cloud had just explained, in a subdued tone, the events of the previous night.

The guard cleared his throat and turned towards Tifa. "You know, my wife's about your size, and I'm sure my clothes will fit you." He gestured towards Cloud.

"Thank you," Tifa said gratefully. "That would be wonderful."

"Okay then, I'll be right back." he left the table.

When he was gone, Cloud turned towards Barret and Tifa.

"What are we going to do about the others?" he asked in a low voice.

"I dunno..." Barret said, his eyes on Marlene who had abandoned her food and was playing in the corner.

Tifa sighed quietly. "We have to warn them somehow."

"Should we risk calling them on the PHS?" Cloud pondered. "Or would we just be helping Shinra track them down?"

Barret shrugged. "I don't think they even have that sort of technology since meteor destroyed headquarters."

"Besides," Tifa pointed out. "It's not like their location is a big secret. Wutai, Cosmo Canyon, and Rocket Town are the first places they'd look anyways."

"Let's make the phone calls breif just in case," Cloud said.

In silent agreement, they all pulled out their PHS and dialed one of their friends each.

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Cid sat a table with a cup of tea, looking over his sketches. It had to be something bigger, faster, and safer. The old Highwind, though it was once his pride and joy, was obviously not good enough. It had failed them when they needed it most and nearly killed them all. Carefully, he put his cup down and made a small alteration to his drawing.

"Cid!" Shera called from the other room.

Cid jumped, and his tea splashed on his drawing.

"Godammit Shera!" he yelled. "What is it?"

"Umm...this thing- it keeps beeping!" she stammered.

His anger evaporated. "Huh? Must be one of the others."

He grabbed the PHS from her and put it to his ear.

"Hello?" he asked.

"Cid!" he heard Cloud shout over the crackling of the bad connection.

"Cloud?" he said loudly into the phone. "Speak up, I can barely hear you."

"Shinra's after us!" Cloud's voice yelled. "They've been telling people we started the fire in Midgar!"

Cid's mind buzzed blankly. "Fire? What fire-"

"Never mind that...just watch out. And make sure you have somewhere safe to hide."

"Okay kid..." he assured Cloud. "Is everyone else alright?"

"Tifa, Barret, and Marlene are with me. They're fine...I don't know about the others...I have to go though. Take care..."

The dial tone echoed in the room, as the connection broke.

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Yuffie trudged around the streets of Wutai, kicking up dust as she went along. Her father was convinced that she was ready to learn about ruling now that she'd seen the world. _I wish he'd get off my back, _she thought grumpily. _Haven't I done enough for now...I just want to be able to do what I want for once..._Slowly, she made her way to her house, and collapsed on her bed in her room.

Things were going alright, she had decided. Wutai was undamaged by meteor, which she noted with joy upon returning. She had been back for over a day, and she was just now getting to lay down to sleep. She had ran through the streets, straight to the Padoga and into her father's arms. Their happy reunion had lasted about five seconds because they had started fighting about Yuffie's education the second her father brought it up. But that was the way it had always been, and she found some comfort in the familiarity of their arguments.

Sighing, she burried her face into her soft pillows. How long had she dreamed about falling asleep in her bed? _So comfty..._ she thought drowsily.

A loud beeping interrupted her happy thoughts. With a growl she leaped from her bed, and tried to locate the unwelcome noise. It was coming from her PHS. Angrily, she flipped it open.

"Who is this?" she snarled. "You have _no _idea how close I was to getting the best sleep I've had in months..."

"Yuffie?" a crackling voice asked. "Can you hear me?"

Yuffie went from one extreme to the other, and yelled happily into the phone, "Tifa!"

"Yuffie, I have to be quick, but listen...Shinra is after us. There was a fire in Midgar and they blamed it on us. Tell your father and make sure you're ready for anything! I got to go but be careful okay?"

"Okay Tifa..." Yuffie said, shocked at the turn of events. "You too..."

As the phone line went dead, Yuffie cast a look of longing towards her bed before heading back to the Pagoda.

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Barret dialed Vincents number. Cloud and Tifa leaned in close and listened as the PHS rang over and over. They exchanged worried looks as the PHS remained unanswered.

Barret turned the PHS off and shrugged. "He must be busy."

"We'll try again later I guess..." Cloud said.

Tifa turned away from Barret's unanswered PHS and turned towards Cloud and Barret. "What about Red? We didn't give him a PHS since he can't use one...I doubt he'd even get service in Cosmo Canyon."

Cloud shrugged. "I guess we'll have to warn him ourselves. He did say we could visit anytime."

"So we're goin' there next?" Barret asked. "I always wanted to take Marlene there..."

"Guess so." Cloud said, turning his head towards the staircase as the guard came up.

"Here," the guard said, throwing Tifa and Cloud clothes. "Hope they fit."

Tifa and Cloud caught their clothes and went off into the bedroom to change. Backs towards one another, they slipped out of their dirty, ripped clothes and into the new ones. Tifa sighed in relief as she felt, for the first time in days, the feeling of clean cloth on her skin. _Not a bad fit, _she thought, buttoning the khaki shorts and straightening the white tank.

"You dressed?" Cloud asked cautiously.

Tifa turned. "Yea...you?"

"Yea."

They both turned around. Cloud was wearing jeans and a t-shirt. Tifa smiled to see him in something other than the SOLDIER uniform. Carefully, they both folded thier old clothes and slipped them into their bags with their weapons and potions. They both knew their clothes would never be wearable again, but they couldn't bear to throw them away.

"Guess we better leave soon." Cloud said quietly.

Tifa nodded. "Yea...we shouldn't put Fort Condor in any more danger."

Cloud opened his mouth to respond, but a sudden shout caused his to whip his head towards the door.

"Turks!" someone was yelling. "The Turks are approaching the fort."

Tifa and Cloud froze for a moment and then all at once, scrambled to get their armor on and their weapons ready. They bursted open through the bedroom door. Barret loomed in front of the doorway, Marlene on his shoulder.

"What's the plan?" he asked teresly, his grip tight on his daughter.

Tifa's gaze locked on Marlene. "Get Marlene out of here." she told Barret.

Barret began to protest but Cloud stopped him.

"Go take your chocobo across the ocean to Cosmo Canyon. We'll meet up with you there. Keep Marlene safe..."

Barret nodded hesitantly. "Be careful you two..."

"You too..." Tifa said. "Bye Marlene."

"Buh-bye Tifa..." Marlene said, a frightened squeak from her father's shoulder.

Barret descended the ladder, and from the window, Cloud and Tifa watched him escape on his chocobo from the backdoor.

Cloud grabbed Tifa's hand. "Come on, let's go meet them before they reach Fort Condor. We don't need to put the people here in danger."

She nodded and they left the fort together.

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Reno motioned for Elena to come to a stop on their chocobos about 100 yards away from the fort. Silently, they watched Cloud and Tifa exit the fort and make their way over side by side.

"Remember the plan..." Reno muttered under his breath.

Elena nodded curtly. After a moment, Cloud and Tifa approached them, eyes narrowed apprenhensively. Simultaniously, Reno and Elena dismounted.

"What do you want?" Cloud said roughly before Reno could even open his mouth.

Reno shook his head. "Manners Strife...we're just here to talk."

Tifa and Cloud exchanged suspicious looks. Tifa cracked her knuckles dangerously.

"About what?" she asked, shooting the two Turks a dirty look. "About how you destroy other people's lives and blame it on us?"

"That wasn't us!" Elena told her, with believable earnest.

Cloud and Tifa looked at them sceptically.

"We're not stupid. We know how Shinra works. You do their dirty work, they blame it all on us." Cloud shot back at her. "Tell me, how much did they pay you? Did they offer more money than they did for Sector Seven?"

Reno looked like he was holding back a scathing reply. Elena shook her head at him slightly. Reno sighed and slouched his shoulders.

"Listen," he said in a low voice. "We know you don't trust us but..."

Tifa looked at him incredulously. "Of course we don't trust you! I think I can only name one time we've seen you all, and you haven't tried to kill us."

The two Turks exchanged a glance and shrugged.

"It was our job." Elena said.

Reno made a dismissive gesture with his arm. "It _was_ our job. But since our boss is dead..."

Elena interrupted. "We refused to work with that bitch Scarlet."

Cloud and Tifa looked at them blankly.

"Okay, okay, I'll get to the point." Reno said, annoyed with the two of them. "Scarlet and Heidegger are trying to execute all traitors to Shinra so they'll have a clear path to power."

"And?" Tifa asked.

"And they have Rude in Junon Prison." Elena told her.

Cloud laughed humorlessly. "I hope you're not asking us for help."

"Well we can't do it alone..." Reno said. "And we know that no one would be willing to do it for free..."

Tifa shot him a dirty look. "We don't want your money."

Reno and Elena exchanged ambiguous looks.

"What if..." Elena began. "What if we told you we had something else you wanted?"

Cloud's eyes narrowed. "Like what?"

"Like information about a friend of yours..." Reno said, acting supremely unconcerned.

Tifa felt her chest grow cold at these words.

"What do you know?" she asked fearfully.

Reno felt his tone soften unwillingly as he replied, "We know one of your friends is being held in Junon Prison."

"Who?" Cloud demanded.

Elena smirked at him. "Does the name Reeve ring a bell?"

"Perhaps not..." Reno drawled when he saw the neutral expressions on their faces. "Maybe your more familiar with the name Cait Sith?"

Reno and Elena exchanged smug glances as Tifa and Cloud's faces fell.

"Cloud?" Tifa whispered. "Do you think they're telling the truth?"

Cloud gave the two Turks a suspicious glare and grabbed Tifa's shouders, gently pulling her away so they could talk without them overhearing. Tifa bit her lip anxiously.

"What do you think?" she asked quietly.

Cloud shook his head briefly. "I don't know whether we should believe them or not...They said Cait Sith is really Reeve..."

"That much is believable." Tifa said, her brow furrowed. "But something seems off..."

"It makes sense that Shinra would be rounding up traitors..." Cloud said lowly.

"So what should we do?" Tifa asked softly. "Do we help them?"

Cloud took a deep breath. "I can't believe I'm saying this but...We don't really have a quarrel with them as long as they aren't working for Shinra right?"

"I still don't trust them." Tifa told him quickly.

"I don't either," Cloud agreed. "Let's help them break into Junon Prison, get Reeve, and be done with them."

Tifa nodded, and they headed back towards them.

"We're in." Cloud told them.


	8. Chapter Eight

_"There is no revenge so complete as forgiveness."  
Josh Billings_

Scarlet stood on a balcony in Junon, surveying the Shinra guards as they rambled around, a bit disorganized. Disgustedly, she placed one hand to her forhead and tried to ease the ache in her temple. She closed her eyes and tried to pretend she was back in Shinra headquarters, where all she had to do was bitch a little and do whatever the president told her to do. _At least the Shinra's brat son is dead...I'd rather be out on the streets than be under the command of a child again._ she thought with contempt.

Before she could continue silently criticizing the dead Rufus Shinra, heavy footsteps interrupted her.

"Heidegger," she snapped. "You better have good news for me."

She tapped her foot impatiently as he struggled to catch his breath from the short walk up the stairs.

"We found three more!" he managed to wheeze.

Scarlet could barely restrain herself from spinning around with glee.

"And that would give us a grand total of how many?" she asked in anticiaption.

Heidegger pondered the question for a moment. "Thirteen."

Scarlet laughed, maliciously. _Thirteen..._she thought greedily. _We almost have those AVALANCHE bastards outnumbered two to one. _She turned to Heidegger.

"Well?" he asked.

"Well..." she repeated with soft molevolence. "Granted that those Turks hold up their end of the deal...we're going to see what Cloud and his little friends can do against SOLDIER's best."

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Cloud, Tifa, Reno, and Elena all sat on their chocobos fidgeting in the akward silence. The sudden change in their relationship left them all uncomfortable and unsure of how to act. Cloud scratched his head.

"So, what's the plan?" he asked.

Reno yawned lazily and leaned back on his chocobo, causing it to wark angrily. "Hey, you're the mastermind. You think of a plan"

Tifa and Elena both let out a snort of laughter as Reno's chocobo gave him an angry peck, but their laughter stopped abruptly as they met each other's eyes. Tifa cleared her throat uncomfortably and turned towards Cloud.

"So what _is_ the plan?" she inquired softly.

Cloud shurgged. "It was easy enough to get into Junon last time."

"Same deal then?" Tifa said. "Shinra uniforms and all?"

"I suppose so..." Cloud said idly.

Tifa made a face and opened her mouth to comment but whatever she was going to say went unsaid as Reno cut into the conversation.

"We're going to dress up as guards and burst into Junon?" he asked a bit skeptically.

Cloud scratched his head. "Worked well enough last time."

Reno and Elena exchanged doubtful glances but Reno shrugged.

"Whatever," he said carelessly.

Elena sighed. "When are we going to do this then?"

"Hmm." Cloud said pensively. "Nighttime definately."

Tifa raised her eyebrows. "Tonight? That's a little soon..."

Cloud looked at the others. Elena's face suggested she agreed, but Reno was slumped over on his chocobo moodily.

"I guess we can camp out tonight, and head for Junon tomorrow." he said carefully.

Tifa and Elena looked relieved but Reno grumbled.

"Trying to draw this out as long as possible, huh?" he asked grumpily.

Elena rolled her eyes. "Oh, shut up Reno."

Tifa choked back a giggle as Reno shot Elena a scathing look.

Cloud smiled cautiously. "Well then...let's head toward Junon now. We can camp outside Junon tonight, head into Junon tomorrow, and break in tomorrow night."

Tifa and Elena nodded in agreement, and followed Cloud on their chocobos. Reno grumbled under his breath but pushed his chocobo forward. _I never thought I'd be riding chocobos side-by-side with the Turks, of all people. _Tifa thought. _But this isn't that bad...I've hated them for so long but hating people takes so much energy...energy that I don't have anymore. _She absently stroked Boko's glossy feathers. It almost felt exciting to have a lead and be on a mission again. Tifa closed her eyes, enjoying the sunshine on her face and the breeze in her hair. _It's nice to be on the road..._she decided contently. _One day...I want to travel around without all the fighting...and when I'm sick and tired of being on the road, I want someplace to come home to..._

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Hours later, the foursome had set up camp five miles away from Junon. The akwardness of them working together had worn off some, but they still all sat huddled around the fire in silence. Their chocobos, exhausted from traveling all day, were already fast asleep. They, too, were beginning to feel the effects of a day's worth of traveling wearing down on them.

"Guess we better go to bed soon..." Cloud yawned.

Reno gave him a sardonic glare. "Bed? I don't see any beds..."

Cloud ignored him and fell backwards on the ground. Reno watched jealously as Tifa tucked herself under Cloud''s arm and rested her head on his chest. Not that he cared much for Cloud's chest, but almost anything would be better than using the ground as a pillow. Reno smiled slyly Elena.

"Hey Elena..." he began.

"Don't even think about it!" she snapped, moving away from him so she could curl up on the ground.

Reno laughed quietly and moved away from the fire. It was a warm, peaceful night and the day had been exhausting...but he felt strangely wired. He waited quietly until Elena, Cloud, and Tifa were all breathing steadily, and walked silently over to a tree about 20 yards away from the fire. He slumped up against the tree and pulled out his PHS. _One million gil..._ he reminded the sick feeling in his stomach. _Plus five hundred thousand for Tifa..._ Before he could change his mind, he dialed Rude.

"Rude here." the voice came over the PHS.

"Hey," he said in a low voice. "This is Reno. We have Cloud and Tifa. Go to Junon and be ready for them up in the prison tomorow night."

He slammed the PHS shut before he could hear Rude's reply. _Godammit..._he thought angrily. _I _need _this money! _And just when he had himself half convinced, he heard footsteps approaching him.

"Aren't you going to sleep?" a soft voice asked groggily.

_Dammit Tifa..._he thought wearily. _Just go away..._

"Not tired." he grunted.

Tifa cocked her head. "You look exhausted."

"Why do you care?" he asked, annoyed. "You don't even like me."

"I don't hate you either..." she said, shuffling her feet.

Reno looked up suspiciously. "Since when?"

"I don't know..." she shrugged. "It just seems pointless now."

She took a glance at Reno's blank face, and began explaining herself.

"What happened in the past is the past...What you did at Sector Seven..." she said soberly. "It caused me to lose several people I loved...but I don't hate you for it."

Reno gave her an incredulous stare. "You don't?"

She shook her head, her dark hair flying in her face. "We killed just as many people when we bombed the reactors...and we said it was to save the planet. Is that really so different from you setting the bomb because it was your job?"

"I suppose not..." Reno mumbled, just wishing she would leave.

Tifa, sensing that he wanted to be alone, softly said. "Well...I'm going back to sleep. Goodnight."

"Night..." he muttered as she walked back towards the fire.

As Tifa laid back down next to Cloud, Reno sunk to the ground by his tree. Feeling old beyond his years, he pulled a bottle out of his coat pocket. Silently cursing Tifa for being such a good person, he took a swig. _This is going to be a long night..._he thought as the guilt coiled around him.


	9. Chapter Nine

_"It is never too late to be what we might have been."  
George Eliot _

Reno rested his face in his hands. Finally, he was away from Cloud, Tifa, and Elena. He was finally where he loved to be most: in a dark, quiet tavern with a cool drink in his hand. He tilted his head back and downed the rest of the bitter liquid, enjoying the fuzziness in his brain that temporarily allowed him to stop thinking. He had just had one of the most restless nights he had ever experienced, and the ride to Junon had been nothing short of torturous. He could have kissed Cloud when he suggested they disperse upon arriving at Junon and regroup at sunset. Reno figured he could get drunk enough not to care by then.

Reno called the bartender over for another drink. Silently he held the drink in both his hands and stared down in the comforting liquid below. Just as he was about to lift the drink to his mouth, a dissapointed voice caused him to snap his head around.

"How did I know I'd find you hear?" Elena was asking.

Reno glared at her and took a defiant chug of his drink. "Go away Elena."

She set her jaw angrily and sat down next to her. Knowing how stubborn she was, Reno sighed as he realized she'd never go away until she talked to him.

"What do you want?" he asked wearily.

The anger evaporated from her face and was replaced with an upset, pinched look. "Are we still going through with this?"

_She had to ask that... _Reno thought through the buzzing in his head. He grabbed his drink and took another chug.

"Don't ignore me Reno!" she hissed. "You know this is wrong! Stop drinking all your problems away."

Ignoring her, he made to finish off his drink, but before he could lift it to his lips, he found that his hands were empty. He stared at his hands in confusion for a moment before turning his gaze towards Elena who was holding his half-empty drink with an imposing glare.

"Give that back!" he snarled.

She shook her head sadly and pulled a wad of gil from her jacket pocket. Open mouthed, he watched her call the bartender over.

"Here," she said handing the gil over. "Don't give my friend here any more drinks."

The bartender nodded. Reno watched disbelievingly.

"You can't do that!" he shouted.

Elena flipped her hair. "I just did."

Reno stood up angrily. "That's fine, I'll just go somewhere else."

"There is no where else, Reno." Elena said, exasperated.

With a growl, he sat back down and buried his head in his hands.

"Reno?" Elena's voice rang in his ears. "Reno?"

"What?" he said wearily, suddenly too tired for anger.

"We can't go through with this, and you know it." she whispered.

Reno did respond. He savored the buzzing in his brain that he knew would soon disappear if he didn't get another drink.

"Fine!" she snapped. "Do what you want, but I'm out. I'm calling Rude now and telling him."

In the back of his mind, he heard her leave. Somewhere in the distance he heard her talking in a low voice, and then she was back.

"Reno?" she said, hesitantly.

"What?" he groaned.

He felt a light hand on his shoulder.

"I know what we've done in the past," she said softly. "But you know this is our chance to turn things around. Don't do this Reno..."

He didn't respond. Elena sighed dissapointedly, and exited the bar. As the door slammed, Reno lifted his head. The tavern was empty except for the bartender. Sighing defeatedly, he ordered a water. The comforting blankness in his mind was leaving rapidly, and he began to brace himself for the headache and guilt that would come with the soberness.

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Cloud and Tifa stood in the darkening streets of Junon, adjusting their weapons and armor in the light of the streetlamp. Tifa shifted her weight impatiently as they waited for the two Turks to arrive.

"Nervous?" Cloud asked her smiling.

"No." Tifa said with a shake of her head. "Like you said, it was easy enough to break into Junon last time."

Cloud nodded. "Hopefully everything will go smoothly."

Tifa silently agreed. After they got Reeve, they could head to Cosmo Canyon after Barret and Marlene. There, they could come up with some sort of plan to ensure AVALANCHE's safety. _The fighting isn't over, but I think there's a near end in sight..._Tifa thought optimistically.

Cloud clucked his tongue inpatiently. "I'm going to call Barret while we're waiting."

"Okay," Tifa said. "I wonder if they're in Cosmo Canyon yet?"

Cloud pulled his PHS from his pocket and dialed Barret's number. It rang several times, before picking up. Tifa leaned in close, but all they could hear was static. Cloud turned it off and repocketed it.

"They must be there." he said. "Like you said, there probably isn't any service in Cosmo Canyon."

Tifa nodded. "At least we know they're safe...for now."

In silence they waited, until they saw Reno's lanky form approaching. He looked unrested and pale.

"Where's Elena?" Tifa asked.

Reno didn't meet her eyes. "I don't know."

"If she doesn't get here soon," Cloud began. "We'll have to go without her."

They stood silently for a few more minutes. Reno fingered his electrod by his side as Tifa pulled her gloves tighter and Cloud adjusted the sword on his shoulders. Tifa peered down the street, but there was no sign of Elena.

"Well, we don't have time to go looking for her..." Cloud said. "We'll manage without her."

"Is that alright with you?" Tifa asked Reno.

He nodded teresly. Tifa looked over at Cloud, her head tilted inquiringly. He shrugged.

"Let's go," Cloud said quietly, and led them over to the deserted elevator that went to the upper level of Junon.

They all piled in the elevator. Reno leaned against the wall. Voices buzzed through his mind.

_"I know what we've done in the past," _Elena's voice was telling him softly. _"But you know this is our chance to turn things around. Don't do this Reno..."_

_"What happened in the past is the past...What you did at Sector Seven...It caused me to lose several people I loved...but I don't hate you for it."_

Reno grabbed his head.

_"You do know...that if we do this mission for her, she'll think that all she has to do to turn us into her little puppets, is offer us money. We'll be doing the same sort of things we were before."_

"Stop the elevator!" Reno said, gasping for air.

"What?" Tifa asked bewildered.

Reno grasped for the emergency brake and then fumbled for his PHS.

"Rude?" he shouted into it. "Can you hear me? It's off! I'm out! Get out of there, I'm through with Scarlet."

The line went dead and the dial done resonated through the silent elevator. Shock was written all over Cloud and Tifa's faces. Slowly the shock faded from Cloud's as dark anger took it's place.

"You set us up!" he hissed angrily.

Reno ducked his head and didn't reply.

"Say something!" Cloud bellowed. "You lied to us, you bastard! You've been working for Scarlet all this time!"

When Reno didn't reply, Cloud grabbed him by the neck of his shirt.

"Stop Cloud!" Tifa said, still recovering from the unpleasant shock. "Just let him go...we don't have time for this."

Breathing angrily, Cloud disgustedly let Reno go, and Reno slumped to the ground.

"How do we get the elevator to go back down?" Cloud asked, the anger in his voice muting as he talked to Tifa.

"I don't know," Tifa whispered, looking anywhere but at Reno, the hurt and betrayl audible in her voice.

They began examining the elevators controls, but their search was stopped as the elevator began moving upwards again.

"Shit!" Cloud swore, pulling the emergency brake again.

The elevator didn't stop. Reno stood up, finally meeting their eyes.

"The elevator won't stop." he said flatly. "They have controls for the elevator on the upper level."

Cloud swore again and turned away.

"We're going to have to fight our way out." he said.

Reno shook his head. "Do you know how many guards Scarlet will have?"

"Then what are we supposed to do?" Tifa asked him, her anger becoming evident in her voice.

When Reno remained silent, Cloud and Tifa turned towards one another and nodded briefly. They readied themselves for a fight, and heard Reno getting his weapon out from behind them. Tifa's heart pounded in her chest with a mixture of fear, anger, and adrenaline.

The elevator came to a stop. Tifa exchanged one last glance with Cloud as the doors swung open and they ran into the fight.

Tifa met the first guard that rushed forward with her fists. She felt Cloud rush by her and take on another, and then from the corner of her eye, she saw Reno's red head as he began fighting another. She overpowered the guard easily and moved on to the next. _They're no match for us_, she thought as she downed another. _If only there weren't so many..._

Just as the thought crossed her mind, she felt arms far stronger than her own, grab her from behind and wrap a muscled arm around her neck. She choked for air. _What is this! _she thought, desperately struggling to free herself from the iron hold around her windpipe. The arm seemed unaffected by her struggles, and she felt her feet lift off from the ground. As the arms gripping her adjusted, the pressure around her throat loosened, allowing her to gasp out-

"Cloud!"

Cloud stopped his sword midswing, and the guard on the receiving end slumped in relief. Holding his sword at the ready, he spun around, searching for the source of Tifa's voice. He located her quickly, and felt his heart freeze in his chest. Silence descended as Reno saw what he saw, and the fighting stopped.

A tall, strong man had his arm wrapped around Tifa's neck, dangling her above the ground. Tifa was desperately trying to pry the arm away, but her attempts went unnoticed. But that alone wasn't why Cloud found himself all the sudden unable to move. It was the mans eyes...they were glassy, glowing Mako eyes. It was another nameless, faceless SOLDIER.

"That's right Strife." Scarlet's voice cackled as she emerged from behind the man. "We aren't completely defenseless. SOLDIER isn't completely gone."

Twelve more Mako eyed, muscled men gathered behind her. Two had a handcuffed Rude between them.

"Let Tifa go!" he shouted, as his voice returned to him.

Scarlet laughed. "Put your weapons down."

Cloud glanced at Reno. They both had their weapons out in front of them, pointed towards Scarlet. Cloud tightened his grip on his sword.

"Put your weapons down or she dies!" Scarlet shrieked, the laughter gone from her voice.

The SOLDIER holding Tifa smiled darkly at Cloud as he squeezed her neck tighter. Tifa choked, her eyes looking desperately towards Cloud. Hatred pulsing through his body, Cloud placed his sword on the ground and took a step back. He saw Reno do the same. Another SOLDIER came forward and collected their weapons.

Scarlet gave a tiny nod to the SOLIDER holding Tifa. Swiftly, he released her, and she fell to the ground, unconscious. Cloud jerked forward toward her, but the second he moved, nine swords pointed at his throat as all the soldiers, except the ones with Rude and Tifa, rushed forward to stop him. From behind him, he heard Scarlet's laughter.

"Cuff him!" she ordered. "And if he misbehaves...kill his little friend."

Stiffening at the sound of Scarlet's voice, Cloud allowed himself to be cuffed. Two arms grabbed him from either side and led him forward. To his left, he saw Reno receiving the same treatment. Scarlet smirked. Cloud would have given anything to have his sword back, and use it to wipe the smirk off her face.

Scarlet turned towards Reno and Rude. "So you thought you'd just forget about our little deal?"

She shook her head, and clucked her tongue disaprovingly at them.

"I don't think so..." she said, smiling maliciously. "Heidegger! Come over here!"

The fat, black haired man came waddling over.

"Yes, Scarlet?" he asked, eying the captured Cloud with triumph.

"Show the SOLDIERS where to take them." she said. "We have four executions to arrange."

Cloud glared at Scarlet silently as the two SOLDIERS flanking him pulled him forward. He turned his head towards Tifa, whose limp form was being hoisted onto one broad shoulder of a SOLDIER. Noticing Cloud's increasing rage, the SOLDIERS to his side tightened their grip on his arms.

"You know what will happened if you try anything..." one hissed in his ear.

Accepting his defeat for the time being, Cloud allowed himself to be led inside Junon prison.


	10. Chapter Ten

_"Courage is doing what you're afraid to do. There can be no courage unless you're scared."  
Unknown_

The first thing Tifa noticed as she awoke was that she was moving. She blinked, trying to steady her swimming vision. As she regained feeling in her limbs, she realized that she was dangled over a strong, unfamiliar shoulder. Confusion ran through her mind. _What happened? _she thought dizzily. _Where am I? _She groaned softly and the person carrying her stopped. She heard unfamiliar voices around her.

Suddenly, her memory returned to her, and she swung her foot as hard as she could into the man's gut. With a wheeze, the man threw her to the ground and hunched over, catching his breath. Tifa hit the ground with bruising force where she sat stunned for a minute. She could hear unfamiliar protesting shouts around her, and a few familiar ones.

"Cloud?" she gasped, clutching her ribs.

"Tifa!" she heard him shout through the other voices.

From the ground, she turned her head, taking in all she saw. They were in a dark corrider, and there were several men surrounding her. Immediately she recognized Cloud, Reno, and Rude, all handcuffed with two strong, strange men restraining each. And wasn't that Heidegger? There were at least twelve, maybe thirteen of the strong built men with Mako eyes. _SOLDIERS..._Tifa realized, fear starting to pound through her body. She ached from hitting the ground with such force, but she scrambled onto her feet and backed slowly away from the man who was rapidly recovering from the blow she dealt to his stomach.

"Stupid bitch..." he wheezed.

He straightened up, towering at least a foot above her. Tifa froze for a moment as his Mako eyes pierced her, but as he drew a hand back to strike her, her instincts kicked in and she ducked beneath his hand, causing him to lose balance. The SOLDIER gave a shout as he pitched forward.

"Tifa!" she heard Cloud shout. "Run for it!"

Her head snapped towards Cloud, who was struggling against the two men who had him in their grasp. Rude and Reno, too, were struggling against the men restraining them.

_We're outnumbered! _Tifa thought numbly. _And this time, these guys are a match for us..._

"Cloud!" she shouted suddenly, rushing forward to aid him.

With nothing but fear and rage powering her, she rushed at the man to his left and thrust her gloveless fist at his face. She heard bones crunch and felt her knuckle split open. _They must have taken my gloves..._she thought as the blood flowed down her arm. The man howled and let go of Cloud, allowing Cloud to elbow the man to his right in the face, and momentarily freeing him from their grasp.

"Tifa..." he said quietly.

But just as she wrapped her arms around his neck, and press her cheek against his, a voice cut through the chaos.

"Enough! Honestly Heidegger...I give you a simple task and thirteen SOLDIERS and look what happens."

Rough hands pulled Tifa off Cloud and restrained her arms behind her back. The two men who had been restraining Cloud grabbed his arms again. Scarlet's shoes tapped loudly on the hard floor as she made her way to the middle of the group.

Scarlet shook her head, somewhat amusedly. "You all never give up, do you?"

Tifa glared at her angrily.

"And you..." Scarlet said. "Stuck up little bitch."

Scarlet struck her across the face, hard.

"We may have failed in executing you last time but this time..." Scarlet sneered at her before turning to Heidegger. "Take them to their cells...and this time I won't tolerate any mistakes!"

The procession continued down the corrider. The man restraining Tifa held her arms behind her back, so tightly it hurt. Tifa grimaced. She couldn't feel her right hand, and had a dark suspicion that it was broken. _Great..._she thought cynically. _Now I can't even fight back. _

The group made a sudden turn into a surgically bright lit hallway. Tifa blinked as her eyes adjusted to the light. Shinra guards lined the walls, their guns at the ready. Heidegger waddled to the front of the procession. He eyed them beadily.

"Seperate cells!" he ordered the SOLDIERS.

Tifa turned her head in time to see Reno and Rude being sheperded into two seperate cells. On her other side, two SOLDIERS (one of them with a rapidly swelling cheek, Tifa noted with satisfaction) were locking Cloud into another. Tifa sighed as she was jerked around roughly, and pushed into a cell of her own. The door slammed shut, and then there was complete silence. Tifa felt unshakably uneasy. _Sound-proof walls..._she thought. _I guess they take a few more precautions than Shinra prison did..._

With a resigned sigh, Tifa collasped on the thin-matressed bed and cradled her bleeding, aching hand to her chest.

_"Never punch someone without proper gloves, Tifa." _she recalled Zangan saying, an echo from her past.

"A lot of good that does me now," Tifa grumbled, trying not to get blood on her shirt. "It's amazing how I can't wear a shirt for two days without getting blood on it..."

Realizing she was talking to herself, Tifa hauled herself into a sitting position and examined her knuckles. They were split all the way across, but the bleeding seemed to be letting up. Tentavely, she tried wiggling her fingers. With relief, she found that, though it was agonizing, each of her fingers could move independently. _Just bruised or fractured then..._she thought. One-handedly, she ripped a thick strip off the bed's white, stiff sheet and wrapped it clumsily around her hand.

"Well that's taken care of..." she muttered.

Drawing her knees up to her chest, she examined the small cell she was in. It was about ten feet long, five feet wide, and completely empty save for the bed she was on and a small toilet. The room was tight, efficient, and Tifa felt all hope of escape fading. Then, blended into the white of the wall, across from her bed, about two inches above the floor, Tifa noticed an air vent. It was only about half a foot long, definately not big enough to climb through, and bolted tightly to the wall. But it was the only part of the room that Tifa saw any hope in.

Tifa stepped off the bed and kneeled on the floor next to the vent. Thinking back to when she was in the corrider, Tifa recalled that there was one cell to the left of her own. _Cloud is in the cell across from mine...and Reno and Rude are next to each other but one cell down from me..._Tifa thought. _I wonder if there's anyone in the cell next to me? _She put her ear next to the vent. Air was gently blowing through, causing her hair to be pushed off her face. She could hear nothing. Shifting slightly, she put her mouth next to the vent.

"Hello?" she said, barely above a whisper.

She pressed her ear against the vent. Nothing.

Tifa cleared her throat. "Hello!" she tried a bit louder.

Again, she pressed her ear against the cool metal of the vent. This time she could ear a slight thump, as though someone from the cell next to her had come off their bed and onto the floor. Then she heard a loud, metallic tapping. She removed her ear from the vent and tapped on it with her uninjured hand.

"Hello!" she called into it. "Is anyone there?"

A man's hesistant voice answered her, echoing strangely across the metallic vent. "Hello?"

"Hello!" Tifa responded. "I can barely hear you, speak up!"

"Who is this?" the man asked, a bit louder.

Tifa hesistated at giving out her name, but then realized that if this man was in the same situation as her, there wasn't much he'd be able to do with that information.

"My name is Tifa Lockhart," she said into the vent.

There was a surprised crash on the other end of the vent.

"Tifa?" the voice came, all hesistions gone. "This is Reeve, I mean- this is Cai-"

"I know who you are!" Tifa said happily. "How are you? Are you hurt? We've been looking for you!"

Tifa heard a faint sigh from the other end of the vent. "I'm fine...but in a lot of trouble. What about you? Did you get caught? Are the others with you?"

"Cloud and I are the only ones here..." she said resignedly. "The others are safe for now."

"Did the Turks get you?" Reeve asked.

Tifa felt a pang of hurt in her chest. Granted, Reno had tried to do the right thing in the end, and he was now being punished just as much as her, but it still hurt to know that she was being betrayed all along. _I wonder where Elena is? _Tifa asked herself. _She must had some amount of faith that Reno wouldn't give us away...too bad he was a little late._

"Tifa?" Reeve's voice came, a bit panicky. "You there?"

"Yes." Tifa said. "The Turks got us...kind of."

Taking a deep breath, Tifa told Reeve about what had happened, starting with the Highwind crashing. When she told him about the fire in Midgar she heard him sighing sadly.

"I knew Scarlet was going to do something horrible like that to the people of the slums..." he said cheerlessly.

Tifa finished bringing Reeve up to date, and there was a deafening silence across the vents when she was done.

"So..." Tifa began softly. "What do we do now?"

Reeve sounded a bit hopeless as he replied, "I don't think there's a way out. I've been here for about five days and security here is really tight..."

"And with those SOLDIERS..." Tifa sighed. "Cloud could beat them in a fair fight...and we could probably overpower them all if we had our weapons and friends with us..."

She heard Reeve make a soft sound of agreement. Again, silence descended on the pair. Tifa sighed glumly at their hopeless situation. But just as she began thinking there was nothing left for them to do, she remembered that Reno and Rude's cells were on the other side of Reeve's.

"Hey!" she said, a soft note of hope evident in her voice. "See if you have a vent on the other side of the cell. Reno's cell is to your left."

"I'll try to get his attention...wait a minute." Tifa heard Reeve say.

Tifa slouched against the wall, and closed her eyes as her cell became completely silent again. Without anything to distract her, her hand began throbbing again with nauseating pain. _Who knows when I'll get a potion..._she thought glumly. She suddenly felt terribly alone in this cold, silent cell with nothing except the pain in her hand and her soft breathing. She wished Reeve would hurry up.

As soon as this thought had formed, she heard a faint voice coming from the vent.

"Tifa? You there?" Reeve asked.

Tifa scrambled back onto her knees and bent close to the vent. "Yes?"

"I managed to talk to Reno." Reeve said. "He said he doesn't see much hope for escape eihter...but he and Rude know this prison better than us so he's talking to Rude about it."

Tifa felt a small bubble of hope. "Okay...tap on the vent if there's anything you need to tell me."

"I will..." Reeve promised her. "You should probably rest up."

Tifa stood up slowly and made her way over to the hard bed. She laid down and curled up immediately, fighting the cold temperature of her cell. But fear and stress had worn her out, and she drifted off into an uneasy sleep.


	11. Chapter Eleven

_"Solitude is the profoundest fact of the human condition. Man is the only being who knows he is alone_."  
_Vladimir Nabokov_

Elena cautiously re-entered the streets of Junon. She put a hand up to block the bright mid-morning sunlight. The streets were crowded, a huge difference from the previous night. Refugees from Midgar were lined up in one straight line that went from the elevator all the way down the street. The guards at the front were letting people ride the elevator up a few at a time. Elena cocked her head curiously. _What's going on here? _she wondered. Swiftly she walked over to a man and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hello?" she said uncertainly. "Would you mind telling me what's going on here?"

He barely glanced at her before answering. Elena was relieved she had thought to change out of her blue Turks suit.

"The Shinra is letting some refugees from Midgar live in Junon military base until they build a new Midgar." he answered, while standing on his toes, trying to view the front of the line.

The man turned his back to her, and Elena moved away, a her stomach clenching painfully as she thought the previous night. _What happened last night? _she thought desperately. _I wonder what Reno did...please say he didn't..._

Just as the thought crossed her mind, the voice of a woman somewhere in front her, interrupted her thoughts.

"Apparently they're waiting until tomorrow to start the executioins...I suppose they want to wait to see if anymore show up...I can't believe AVALANCHE tried to get Junon too!"

Feeling breathless, Elena rushed forward.

"Excuse me m'am!" she said. "What executions? Who are they executing?"

The woman stared at her for a moment before asking, "Haven't you heard? They caught two members of AVALANCHE!"

Elena felt her heart sink low in her chest.

"And..." the woman continued. "They've charged those Turks with treason. They already have two of them in custody...I suppose they'll execute them too."

At this, Elena froze. _Treason? Then Reno must have...oh but he must have been too late! _she thought desperately.

"Thank you..." she murmured to the woman quickly before rushing off.

Her heart pouding with this new information, Elena paced nervously. _They have Reno and Rude...and they're looking for me... _She bit her lip. _I have to do something to help them. I have to get them out of there. And Cloud and Tifa. It's partially my fault they're where they are. _Brushing her hair back with her hand, Elena made up her mind and stood at the back of the winding line.

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Cloud sat up on his bed after a restless night of sleep. For the thousandth time since he had been put in the cell, frusteration tore at him. He was stuck in a small, secure cell with no way to get to Tifa. And he knew that the others were in danger too. Sighing, he began to pace in the tiny room.

Who knew that there were SOLDIERS that survived? Cloud had thought they were all gone, or insane from the treatment Hojo had put them through. With them in the mix, the situation was much more complex. He knew they could beat them...If they could defeat Sephiroth, then what were a few measly SOLDIERS? But at the moment, they were outnumbered and weaponless. _Tifa and I can't take them out alone..._Cloud felt a strike of anger. _And who knows what the Turks would do..._

He stopped his pacing and collapsed on the bed, burrying his face in his hands. The situation was largely out of his control. And to top it all off, there was blood on the left sleeve of his t-shirt and he had no idea how it got there. _Perhaps it's from the guard Tifa punched..._he squeezed his eyes shut. _Or...from Tifa herself? _He shook his head and tried not to think about Tifa being hurt and out of reach. He had no idea how much time had passed since they had been captured. His cell was brightly lit and windowless. There were no means of telling time and no color in the room but white. Cloud felt as though he were going insane with the worry, frusteration, and sensory deprivation. _I have to get out here..._he thought.

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Reno laid flat on his back, one arm thrown over his eyes. His mind and body ached for alcohol. He wished Rude or even Reeve would yell through the vent and distract him, but he couldn't motivate himself to get up from the bed. _What have I gotten us into? _Reno thought sourly. _Not only did I put Cloud and Tifa and jail...I managed to win me and Rude a cell too... _He moaned, sickened with himself. _Can't do anything right..._

Unable to bear these thoughts running through his head another second longer, he rolled off the bed and kneeled in front of the vent that was connected to Rude's cell. He tapped loudly on the metal.

"Rude?" he shouted into it. "You there?"

Rude's voice answered neutrally. "Yes."

"What are you doing?" Reno asked.

Reno could practically see Rude rolling his eyes through the wall.

"Nothing." Rude said blankly.

"Oh." Reno replied. "How are we getting out of here?"

"..." Rude was silent.

Reno sighed. "You've never been any good to talk to."

"We have to trust Elena." Rude told him, before the sound of echoing steps through the vent told Reno that he had moved away from the vent and their conversation was over.

"Great..." Reno said sarcastically. "Trust Elena."

But deep down, he knew Elena had it in her to come through. He sat back down on his bed, and this time his thoughts were not quite as troubling.

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Barret watched his daughter as she ran around happily in awe of Cosmo Canyon. Marlene had grown up knowing nothing but city streets and slums. It was heart-warming to see her finally experiencing real nature. One day, he hoped to rebuild Corel and show her what her hometown had looked like before it was destroyed. He knew too, that he'd have to tell her about her real parents, Elenor and Dyne...but that day hadn't come yet. Marlene still had some growing to do before he could bear to tell her the truth.

He tore his eyes away from little Marlene for a minute as Red walked up to Cosmo Candle. He sat down next to Barret in silence and watched Marlene prance around.

"Marlene seems to enjoy Cosmo Canyon," Red said, sounding pleased.

Barret nodded. "'Knew she would."

"You two are welcome to stay as long as you need to." Red said turning towards Barret. "Marlene will be safe here."

"No where's safe anymore..." Barret disagreed. "Not wit Shinra after us."

Red looked somber. "I suppose not."

"Cloud an' Tifa aren't here yet..." Barret said quietly, changing the subject.

"I know..." Red replied. "Perhaps they're still traveling?"

Barret shook his head. "I gotta bad feelin' 'bout this."

"Me too." Red admitted. "But you said that it was just Reno and Elena, right? They wouldn't be too much of a challenge for Cloud and Tifa."

"Mebbe not..." Barret said. "But why aren't they here then?"

Red sighed. "I don't know Barret...but I'm worried too. Let's give them until tomorrow to show up. Then we can leave Cosmo Canyon to try and call."

Barret nodded in agreement.

"What about the others?" Red asked. "You warned all of them too?"

"All but Vincent..." Barret said. "He didn't answer."

The two fell into silence again. The sun was almost directly above them. _Mus' be 'bout noon..._Barret thought to himself. _Wonder if Tifa and Cloud are awright..._ HIs thoughts were interrupted by Marlene's cheerful voice.

"Papa!" she yelled, running at him. "Have you seen how high up we are! I can see so far!"

Barret felt himself smiling, despite all his worries. "I know you can..."

"Do you want to go up into the tower?" Red asked Marlene, turning towards Barret to see if this was alright. "There's a telescope, and you can see twice as far."

"Can I Papa?" Marlene begged, her tiny body tense with excitement. "Please Papa?"

Barret laughed. "'Course you can. Go with Red."

She threw her arms and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before running off after Red.

"Be good!" Barret yelled at her retreating back.

Now alone, Barret sighed and headed over to the cliff. Marlene was right, you could see for miles. But no matter how hard he searched, he saw no signs of Cloud and Tifa. His heart sunk. He had a dark suspicion that they would not be coming.

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After a long, tiring day of standing in a never-ending line, Elena rode the elevator to the upper level of Junon. She stood behind the group of people she rode with, her head down so none of the Shinra employees would recognize her. The Shinra guard began talking to them, giving them directions to where they were to go next. Elena ignored him as she had no intentions of following them. She was aprehensive, but the during the long hours waiting in line, she had formulated a plan. _It's not perfect..._she thought truthfully. _But it's the best shot we have._

Elena followed the people in front of her as they shuffled away. Junon was familiar to her. She had been stuck in Junon for two weeks with President Rufus and the other Turks after Meteor had been summoned. She had explored Junon base and knew quite a bit about it: she knew where they kept prisoners, she knew where their best bet of getting out was...and she knew that everything in Junon base was controlled by electricity. Elena was glad she had at least one advantage. Carefully, she slunk away from the group without being noticed.

"Now let's see if I remember where it is..." she muttered to herself.

Stealthily, she crept through Junon base until she found what she was looking for.

"Aha!" she whispered triumphantly.

She took out a screw driver and wiggled it in the keyhole until a click told her it was open. Elena slipped inside. She was greeted with a mass of wires and switches. She grinned.

"Now which wire do I need to cut?" she said quietly. "Ahh there it is."

But she didn't cut it right yet. She slumped to the floor and crawled under a table, intending to hide there until nightfall.

"I hope this works..." she whispered, feeling lost without Reno and Rude.

Suddenly, she felt angry at herself.

"I can do this!" she said fiercly. "And I'll prove to all of them that I can accomplish something by myself."

Elena crossed her arms and scowled.

"I'll show them I'm not weak!"

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_Author's Note: Thank you to everyone that reviewed my story! I appreciate all your reviews. It's very encouraging to know people are reading and enjoying my story. _


	12. Chapter Twelve

_"There are many ways of going forward, but only one way of standing still."_

_Franklin D. Roosevelt_

Stiff and uncomfortable from hiding so long, Elena checked the time on her wrist watch. It was a few minutes past midnight. Feeling a bit nervous, she reached into her pocket and pulled out the wire cutters. She fumbled around with the wires for a bit until she was positive she was holding the right one. Her breath was shaky as she ran through her plan in her mind for the thousandth time.

"Here goes nothing..." she muttered.

Gripping the wire cutters one hand, and the wire in another, she snipped the wire and fled the small building. Everything requiring electricity in Junon simultaneously stopped working.

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Reno woke mid-snore as the single light above him flickered and made an electronic buzzing sound. With bleary eyes, he watched the light flicker and finally turn off completely. Reno sat up so fast, his head spun. The room was pitch black.

"What's going on?" he murmured. "It's damn creepy in here."

He hauled himself to his feet and took some cautious steps until his fingers met the wall. He trailed them along the wall until they met the door. _These doors are controlled by electricity..._Reno thought, feeling somewhat dazed. He exerted a pressure on the door. He felt it move about two inches.

Now that the door was open a crack, Reno could hear confusion out in the hallways. Apparently the guards were at a loss of what to do. He put his fingers in the crack between the door and the wall and slid it open sideways, as quietly as he could. Reno's eyes met more blackness; the hallways were just as dark as his cell.

With one hand on the wall, and the other stretched out in front of him, he moved cautiously to his left. His fingertips met some sort of material. Confused, Reno moved his hand up and closed his fingers around...a tie?

"Rude?" he whispered. "Is that you?"

"Shh." Rude's voice hissed.

Reno felt Rude turn him around in the other direction and give him a shove in his back. Trying to be as quiet as possible, Reno began walking again, one arm outstretched. He had barely moved two feet when again he hit something. Thinking it was a guard, he swung his arm.

"Ow!" a man's voice hissed. "What in the world was that?"

"Be quiet Reeve!" Reno whispered.

Blindly Reno shoved Reeve forward.

"What did you hit me for?" Reeve grumbled under his breath.

"Thought you were a guard..." Reno replied, gripping the back of Reeve's suit collar as they moved along blindly. "Still behind me Rude?"

Rude's hand closed on the back of Reno's collar, and they continued along the wall.

"The prisoner's are escaping!" Reno heard a slightly panicking voice yell.

"Shit..." Reno cursed. "Run!"

Reno released his grip on Reeve's collar and began running blindly, only to fall backwards as he ran full force into someone else. He hit the ground and heard a thump as the person he ran into fell too.

"Dammit!" he yelled. "This is ridiculous!"

"Reno?" a voice asked, next to him on the floor.

Reeve's voice shouted from behind him, "Tifa is that you?"

"Yes, I'm right here!" Tifa called.

Carefully, Reno hauled himself to his feet and felt around on the floor until he found Tifa. Blindly he helped her to her feet.

"Thanks..." she said. "I can't see a thing!"

"No problem...Did everybody get out?" Reno looked around helplessly in the pitch black hallways.

"I'm right here." Reeve said from behind him.

Rude grunted to his left.

"Cloud?" Tifa called. "Where are you?"

"I'm here, Tifa." Cloud's voice said and Reno felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Whoa there!" Reno shouted twisting away. "I'm definately not Tifa!"

"Sorry, I can't see a damn thi-" Cloud was cut off short as gunfire filled the hallway.

Blind and helpless, they all ran.

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_This is insane! _Tifa thought desperately as she ran blindly. _How are we supposed to get out if we can't even see? _She squinted into the darkness as her feet pounded against the ground. A split second later, she ran face first into someone in front of her. Quickly, she grabbed a handeful of their shirt so she wouldn't fall back again.

"Sorry," she whispered as she righted herself. "Why have we stopped."

There was a slight pause and Rude's voice answered, "There's a door."

Tifa strained her ears, and heard a slight creaking sound as the door was opened.

"Grab onto one another," Tifa heard Cloud say over the sound of the gunshots. "The last thing we want to do is lose each other."

Tifa grabbed Rude's large hand in front of her and winced slightly as someone behind her fumbled to grab onto her injured hand. Acknowledging that now was not the time to think about the akward situation, she struggled to keep up as Rude began running on legs much longer than her own. Then, she heard a woman shreik, and her body slammed into Rude's back as the whole line of them tripped to the ground. Groaning, Tifa felt the person behind her fall onto her sprawled out legs.

"Ow..." she heard Reno moan as she shoved him off her legs.

"What now?" she asked, rubbing her legs. "Why did we stop again?"

"I ran into someone!" Reeve's voice said, sounding befuddled.

"Who?" Cloud's voice asked, projecting over the moans and groans. "Who was it?"

"It was me, you idiots!" a woman's muffled voice screeched. "Now get off of me!"

"Sorry..." Tifa heard Reeve reply sheepishly.

"Elena?" Rude's voice said. "Is that you?"

"Yes it's me!" Elena hissed.

From behind her, Tifa heard Reno ask, "What are you doing here?"

"I'm helping you all get out of here!" Elena replied, sounding slightly exasperated. "I cut off the electricity."

"Well thanks a lot Elena!" Reno hissed. "Now we can't see a damn thing!"

Elena made an angry noise at Reno. "Shut up! I'm not completely stupid you know! The emergency lights will come on in a minute or two!"

"Stop it both of you!" Cloud hissed angrily. "The guards will hear us if you don't shut up!"

Tifa rolled her eyes and stood up. "We should keep moving." she whispered.

She heard rustling as the others got on their feet. She was about to reach out and grab onto someone, when she heard voices at the other end of the hall, and a door being opened.

"Move away...quietly!" she heard someone hiss.

Tifa took a cautious step, but then heard someone stumble behind her. Blindly she turned around and grabbed their shoulders.

"What's wrong?" she whispered, trying to be as quiet as she could.

Reno's voice responded gruffly, "Damn foot's broken or something..."

Hearing the voices coming closer, Tifa's heart began beating out of control. Quickly, she wrapped one arm around Reno's waist and pulled his arm over her shoulder and hauled him to his feet.

"Just do the best you can," she whispered.

Slowly they hobbled down the hall. Sweat beaded on Tifa's head as she tried to pull Reno along. Just as the voices seemed to be getting farther away, Tifa heard an electronic buzzing, and the emergency lights flickered on.

"Shit..." she heard Reno whisper.

The lights were dim, but left them completely visible. In front of her, Tifa saw the others freeze like deer caught in the headlights.

"Quickly!" a guard shouted from somewhere around the corner. "Check everywhere! We can't let them escape!"

The small group looked at each other wide-eyed for a second until Cloud's voice knocked some sense into them.

"Run!" he urged.

Elena, Rude, and Reeve took off down the hall.

"Tifa!" Cloud shouted. "Come on!"

Cloud turned around to see Reno holding onto Tifa for support as they slowly hobbled down the hall.

"Dammit..." he swore as he sprinted over to the two of them.

Cloud ducked under Reno's other arm and the three of them began moving a bit quicker than before. Panic swelled in Tifa's chest as she heard the voices behind her. _They're going to find us..._she thought desperately.

"You two go ahead!" Reno said, his voice sounding strained. "What's the point in all of us getting caught?"

Tifa adjusted his arm over her shoulder and set her jaw. "We're not leaving anyone behind."

Reno dug his heels in the ground and caused them to come to stumbling stop.

"Go on!" he said stubbornly. "It's my fault you two were caught in the first place!"

Cloud and Tifa exchanged a glance before checking behind them. The guards were'nt yet visible, but they could hear footsteps lurking behind the corner. Tifa turned towards Cloud, her eyes wide and frightened.

"What are we going to do?" she asked.

Slowly, Cloud faced her. Her hair tie had been lost sometime during the escape and her face peaked out frightenedly between the loose strands. _Think..._he told himself, his heart clenching in his chest. _You have to get her out of here somehow..._

"Idiots!" Reno hissed at them. "Just go! You're wasting time."

"Tifa..." Cloud said quietly. "You take Reno and try to catch up with the others. I'll hold them off until you two can get away."

Tifa snapped her head around and scowled. "No way, Cloud! If anyone's staying behind, then it's me! I can fight without my gloves!"

She slipped her injured hand behind her back. Cloud shook his head and touched her shoulder.

"Tifa..." he began.

Cloud was stopped abruptly by a shout down the hall.

"What the hell are you all doing?" Reeve shouted, his voice sounding panicked.

"Reno?" Elena's voice called. "Where are you?"

Just as Reeve, Elena, and Rude peaked their heads around the corner, guards burst in through the doors as the other end of the hall.

"Run Elena!" Reno shouted. "Rude, get out of here!"

"Reeve! Go to Cosmo Canyon! Get the rest of AVALANCHE!" Cloud shouted before turning towards Tifa. "Please Tifa... go with Reeve!"

"No!" she told him firmly. "Run! All of you!"

Reeve, Elena, and Rude took off down the hall as the guards approached Cloud, Tifa, and Reno from the other end. Wincing, Reno pulled away from Cloud and Tifa and stood on his own. Cloud watched as Tifa forced the fear out of her face and got into her battle stance. He took note of her gloveless hands and that her knuckles were split open. Reluctantly, he forced his eyes away from her and squared his shoulders as the guards approached.

Cloud looked over the approaching group with mounting anxiety. There were about fifteen or so guards, armed with machine guns...and behind them...five SOLDIERS. They approached slowly and arrogantly, their mako eyes glinting; they knew what Cloud knew- there was no way Tifa, Reno, and himself could win this fight. Cloud looked back at Reno, wobbling on his broken foot, and then towards Tifa, looking determined to fight to the last.

Slowly and delibrately, Cloud walked over to Tifa and took her hands. She looked up at him, bewildered.

"We're not going to win this fight." Cloud said quietly.

"But-" Tifa started.

Cloud shook his head. "We'll die if we fight them now."

Tifa met his eyes and nodded. The determination crept out of her body, and she moved closer to Cloud. She grabbed his hand tightly and looked up at him, fear written on her every feature.

"Don't leave me..." she whispered.

He squeezed her hand gently.

"I won't." he promised.


	13. Chapter Thirteen

_"The moment you have in your heart this extraordinary thing called love and feel the depth, the delight, the ecstasty of it, you will discover that for you, the world is transformed."_

_J. Krishnamurti_

"Put your hands where we can see them." a large, muscular SOLDIER ordered lazily.

Cloud, Tifa, and Reno exchanged quick glances. Cloud nodded slightly, let go of Tifa's hand and put his hands up, palms facing outwards. Tifa and Reno did likewise. Smirking, the SOLDIER made a small motion to the SOLDIERS behind him. They rushed forward and jerked the three of them into handcuffs. Reno flinched as he was forced to put weight on his foot, but didn't make a sound.

"Scarlet wants that one in Heidegger's office," the SOLDIER said motioning towards Reno. "She thinks this Turk needs to learn what happens to those that betray her..."

He grinned widely as Reno was practically dragged away by two other SOLDIERs. He paced in front of Tifa and Cloud slowly, shaking his head as though they were two misbehaving school children. He pushed his brown hair away from his face and sauntered up to Cloud, smiling mockingly the whole way.

"Thought you could get out did you?" he asked, faking a friendly tone. "What a shame."

He smirked at Cloud, but froze as he got a closer look at him.

"You..." he said slowly. "You have mako eyes."

"Yes." Cloud said coldly.

He looked him over carefully. "I don't recognize you."

"I was never in SOLDIER." Cloud told him.

"Hmm..." the man said, still sizing him up. "It doesn't really matter whether you were or not..You're going to die anyways."

The SOLDIER laughed, showing white, even teeth.

Cloud shrugged. "We'll see."

His laughter stopped abruptly as he scowled at him.

"I don't like your attititude..." he said cooly.

The two men glared at one another for a moment before the SOLDIER appeared to lose interest and turned away.

"But wait!" the SOLDIER said, a leer popping up on his face. "What do we have here?"

Cloud watched him through narrow eyes as strolled up to Tifa. She met his gaze evenly, her eyes cold and angry.

"I don't think we've been properly introduced!" the SOLDIER said, a cruel undertone apparent under his cheery words. "My name is Kale. And you are?"

Tifa kept her mouth shut, glaring up at him.

Kale laughed. "That's alright. You don't have to say anything now. Perhaps I'll have you taken up to my room and we can get better acquainted there."

Leering, he stroked her cheek with mock tenderness. Tifa made a disgusted face at him and pulled away from him.

"Don't touch me!" she hissed.

Kale frowned at this, but recovered quickly and took a step closer. Looking directly at Cloud, he drew back his arm and struck her across the face. Kale laughed gleefully as Cloud, enraged, charged towards him. It took three SOLDIERS to hold him back.

"Now, now..." Kale said lightly. "We don't need any of that."

Another SOLDIER pulled a dazed Tifa up to her feet. Kale smirked at her before turning back to Cloud.

"My mother raised me well. I don't touch what's not mine." he told Cloud casually.

Cloud watched Kale as he streched lazily and flashed an arrogant smile his way.

"And Miss Lockhart isn't mine is she?" Kale said with a leer. "Not yet anyways."

Kale met Cloud's glare unflinchingly. The two men were about the same height, both muscular with mako eyes. The only advantage Cloud would have in a fight was his experience, but with Cloud handcuffed and weaponless, Kale was at the advantage and he knew it.

"What's going on here?" a sharp voice caused Kale and Cloud to break their glares away.

Scarlet looked back and forth between the two, her eyes narrowed.

"Nothing at all." Kale said smoothly. "I was just getting to know our prisoners."

Scarlet rolled her eyes and ran a hand through her hair. Her face was stressed, and she had apparently been woken up by the nights events.

"Did you capture the others?" she asked tersely.

Kale shrugged. "There are other SOLDIERS working for you. Surely you don't expect me to do everything? I got three of them, the leader included."

Scarlet glared at him.

"Fine then." she snapped. "Get these two out of my sight."

"Where do you want them?" Kale questioned carelessly.

Scarlet frowned at Cloud and Tifa. "I want them in one of the old offices.Make sure it has no windows and that the doors are not electric. Lock them in and have guards stationed outside the door at all times. Am I clear?"

"Yes m'am." Kale said sardonically.

Scarlet turned on her heel and left.

"You heard the lady." Kale snapped at the guards and other SOLDIERS. "Get to it."

Roughly, Cloud and Tifa were led down the hall. They walked down several flights of stairs and were then pushed into a corrider. As they were ushered through, they observed the area they were in. It was all apparently old and less high tech. The carpet was stained and dusty, and the walls cracked and water stained. They came to a stop at an iron door towards the end of the corrider. One of the guards pushed to the front and unlocked the door with a key from his pocket.

"Don't try anything," a SOLDIER warned Cloud and Tifa.

Several guns pointed at them as the SOLDIER took off their handcuffs and shoved them into the room. The door slammed shut and was locked with a click. The room was small and box-like. The floor was cement and bare, there was nothing on the walls. The ceiling was bare also, except for a flickering lightbulb hanging down and a miniscule air vent.

Slowly, Cloud came up beside Tifa. Gently, he cupped her face, turning her head so he could see her cheek. With his fingertips, he touched the swollen spot right below her right eye.

"Tifa..." he said softly, not removing his hands from her face. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine..." she said just as softly.

Cloud took his hands away, and sat down against the wall. Tifa slid down next to him. They sat in silence for a minute.

"You should have ran." Cloud said in a low voice.

Tifa frowned and turned to face him. "You knew I wouldn't!"

Cloud shook his head. "We might not make it out of this one Tifa."

"Cloud..." she said quietly. "We can't give up yet."

Cloud looked up, meeting her eyes. She was smiling, trying to be optimistic like always. But Cloud could see that underneath her brave words, she was scared to death. He could see that all she really wanted was for him to say it would be okay. Taking a deep breath, Cloud put on a smile of his own and grabbed her hand.

"It'll be fine Tifa." he said confidently. "We'll figure something out...Reeve will get the others. And if not...we'll think of something, okay?"

Tifa nodded solemnly and leaned on the wall next to him, not letting go of his hand. They sat together in the silence, knowing that despite the brave fronts they were putting on, there was a chance that they really would be executed the next day. There was a chance that this was the last time they'd be together.

"You're shaking..." Cloud said quietly, pulling Tifa close.

Tifa wrapped her arms around Cloud's shoulder, pressing her body close, trying to stop shaking. Cloud held her tight with one arm, and gently stroked her long, dark hair with the other. Both of them closed their eyes, relishing their closeness.

Their relationship had seemed so complicated in the past, with Aeris, Cloud's memory loss, and everything that had happened in the past...but as they sat together, holding each other as close as they could, everything felt surprisingly less complex. They were together now, they loved one another...nothing else really mattered.

"Are you scared?" Cloud breathed into Tifa's hair.

"Of death?" Tifa asked, her face ducked in between Cloud's neck and shoulder. "I'm not afraid to die..."

Cloud gently ran a hand through her hair. "What are you afraid of then?"

"I'm afraid of...spiders." Tifa joked, her giggles humming against Cloud's collar bone.

Tifa stopped giggling and tightened her grip around Cloud.

"I'm afraid of Kale." she whispered. "And...I'm afraid of losing you."

Gently, Cloud pulled her away so he see her face. Her eyes were round and frightened and he could feel her trembling against his hands. With a tenderness he only posessed with Tifa, he brushed her hair away from her face, and cupped his hand on her cheek. Slowly, he moved his face towards hers, until they could feel each other's breath on their faces. They closed their eyes.

"I won't let Kale touch you." Cloud whispered. "And I'm not going anywhere."

His hand warm on her cheek, he titled her face slightly and brushed his lips against hers. Hearts hammering wildly, they hovered, lips decimeters away from each other, unable to move away. Now trembling for completely new reasons, Tifa moved her hands from her sides and wrapped them around Cloud's neck, before leaning in and pressing her lips against his. Cloud took his hand away from her face, and ran his hands down the middle of her back, pulling her closer. Feeling dizzing with the scent, the texture, and the taste of Tifa, he deepened the kiss, his heart thumping as her tongue brushed his.

Slowly and reluctantly, they pulled away, in need of breath. Breathing heavily, Cloud gently traced the contours of her face.

"You're beautiful, Tifa." he told her solemnly.

Smiling, she leaned forward until their forheads touched.

"I love you Cloud," she whispered, before kissing him again.

Cloud kissed back, pulling her close and leaning back so she stretched out on top of him. As if in a dream, they kissed more passionately, Tifa's hands feeling the strong muscles of his chest and stomach, his hands caressing the soft skin of her back. Tifa slid her hands up under his shirt and Cloud pulled away from her lips for a split second so it could come over his head. He pressed his lips against hers again, gently turning them over so she was underneath him. Slowly, he moved his lips off hers and kissed her softly on the neck. She moaned quietly, making his head feel like it was spinning. Cloud trailed his lips back up to hers and ran his hands down the soft curves of her body. Tifa made a soft sound against his lips and he pressed closer to her, their kisses growing more and more passionate. He ran his hands over her gently, smiling at her soft moan as he ran his fingertips under her shirt across the tender skin of her stomach. Her skin felt warm under his hands as he slowly inched higher...

Suddenly, Cloud noticed the position they were in. Tifa was flat on her back, he was shirtless, on top of her, and laying between her legs, with his hand halfway up her shirt. Using every last tendril of willpower he possessed, Cloud slid his hand off her warm flesh and pulled away from her lips. Tifa stared up at him, lips parted slightly. Cloud gulped and almost had to look away.

"Not like this Tifa..." he managed to choke out.

Tifa took a shaky breath and nodded. "You're right Cloud."

His body screaming in protest, Cloud rolled off of Tifa and pulled his shirt back on. Taking a few stabilizing breaths, Cloud turned back towards Tifa and smiled.

"Let's get some rest." he said opening his arms.

Returning his smile, Tifa scooted into his open arms and laid down beside him. Tiredly, she rested her head on his chest and fell asleep. Cloud stroked her hair gently and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. Possibilities that never seemed possible to him were now swirling around in his head. What would it be like to marry this woman? To fall asleep with her every night? To make love to her? To have children with her?

Cloud closed his eyes and felt her heart beat against him. None of these dreams would come true if they died tomorrow.

"I love you Tifa..." he whispered into her hair. "And I'm not going to let you die tomorrow."


	14. Chapter Fourteen

_"Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less."_

Marie Curie

"Come on..." Barret growled at his PHS. "Answer your goddamn PHS Cid..."

Barret sat on the ground, a chocobo nearby, several miles outside Cosmo Canyon. It was barely dawn. Barret had just endured a restless night, waiting for Cloud and Tifa to come. But finally, at about four a.m., Barret gave into to the anxious pit in his stomach and left Cosmo Canyon to try and contact them. They didn't pick up their PHS. Then, feeling slightly panicky, Barret decided it was time he clued the others in.

"Hello?" a gruff, but wide awake voice said through the PHS.

"Cid?" Barret said quickly. "This is Barret-"

But Cid cut him off quickly.

"Dammit Barret have you heard?" he asked, his voice low and anxious.

Dread filled Barret. "Heard what?"

"Have you turned on the TV recently?" Cid asked incredously. "Where the hell are you?"

"Cosmo Canyon. But nevermind that, wha's goin' on?"

Silence answered him and for a second, Barret was afraid that they had lost the connection.

"Those bastards have Cloud and Tifa." Cid said, his voice gravelly. "They're planning on executing them today...I saw it on TV yesterday but apparently there's been a power outtage in Junon. I haven't heard anything since last night."

"Shit!" Barret cursed loudly. "Goddammit..."

"I know, I know..." Cid said, and there was the unmistakable sound of him taking a drag on his ciggarette.

There was another silence, but then Barret spoke up again.

"Well..." he began, squishing the anxiety out of his voice. "There's on'y one thing fer us to do then."

Cid gave a grave laugh. "I was hoping you'd say that."

Barret sighed wearily.

"Start heading towards Junon." he told Cid. "I'll tell the others. We'll meet there at noon today."

As soon as the phoneline went dead, Barret quickly dialed up the rest of AVALANCHE. Yuffie sounded grumpy, but agreed immediately to come help Cloud and Tifa. It took several tries to get to Vincent, but he too agreed to come. Barret wiped a weary hand across his forehead and climbed back on his chocobo. He'd have to go back and get Red, then find someone to take care of Marlene...He sighed sadly. Barret had hoped never to leave Marlene in order to fight ever again.

He was jerked from these thoughts as he saw something approaching out of the corner of his eye. Adjusting his gun-arm, he observed that there were three people approaching on chocobos. As they came closer, an angry look filled his face.

"Shinra bastards!" he yelled pointing his gun-arm at them.

Three exhausted faces looked at him. He immediately recognized them as Elena, Rude, and Reeve. Reeve put his arms up slowly and spoke to him.

"Don't shoot Barret." he said calmly but tiredly. "It's me, it's Cai-"

"Cait Sith." Barret finished for him, lowering his arm. "But...why are you with these..._Turks_?"

He raised his gun-arm again.

"Barret, please." Reeve said, sounding completely drained. "Rude and Reno were prisoners too. Elena helped us escape, but Cloud, Tifa, and Reno...they got captured again."

Barret looked at them uncertainly.

"Put your damn gun down!" Elena snapped at him. "We've had enough of them pointed at us in the past 24 hours..."

Barret lowered it. "What are you all doin' here?" His voice was suspicious.

"Cloud yelled at us to come here right before he was captured." Reeve told him. "We barely made it out."

Barret swore at them. "Why the hell didn't you help them?"

There was silence. When the silence was broken, surprisingly, it was Rude who spoke.

"They have SOLDIERS." he said. "We'll need all the help we can get."

Barret cursed again. Suddenly feeling incredibly old, he motioned to the three others to follow him as he made his way back to Cosmo Canyon.

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"So Reno..." Scarlet was saying, her face ugly from lack of sleep. "You don't wish to fix your mistake, and become loyal to Shinra again."

From where he was tied to a chair, Reno rolled his blackened eyes. This woman was more stupid than he first imagined, if she thought a Turk would give into the pathetic torture session she had one of her SOLDIERS issue. It took a lot more than pain to make him betray his friends. Granted, he had quite a few painful bruises...but he figured he'd be dying later that day anyways. Blood dribbled down his face.

Scarlet gave a frusterated growl. "Fine! He can be executed with the other two! When can we begin the executions"

Heidegger looked apprenhensive as she asked this question.

"Well you see..." he said nervously. "With the electricity out...we can't use the gas chamber so..."

Scarlet let out another frusterated growl. "Then go fix it! And quick!"

Heidegger waddled out of the room. Looking for someone else to vent her frusteration out on, Scarlet turned towards the SOLDIER named Kale.

"Go interrogate one of the other prisoners." she snarled. "Get whatever information you can."

Kale gave her a smirk and left the room.Two SOLDIERS dragged Reno out of the room. Scarlet collasped in a chair and crossed her arms angrily. _Things will work out my way..._she thought sulkily.

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Someone in the back of her mind, Tifa heard voices. Slowly, reluctantly, she opened her eyes. Her eyes met Cloud's face. He smiled at her. She returned the smile, snuggled deep into his arms. They both sat up without letting go of one another. Tifa closed her eyes as Cloud's arms tightened around her. _Who knows what this day will bring..._she thought, pressing her face into his shoulder.

As the door creaked open, their heads shot up, but they held each other more tightly. Tifa felt her heart hammer faster. Two SOLDIERS stood in the doorway, and between them, bloody and battered, was Reno.

"Reno!" Tifa gasped.

They threw him into the room. He stumbled to the ground. But the door didn't close. Tifa looked back at the doorway. Another SOLDIER was standing behind the two that threw Reno in. Tifa recognized him immediately.

"Kale." Cloud said coldy, standing up.

Tifa stood with him, but Cloud forced her behind him.

Kale laughed. "Now, now none of that...Don't worry. I'm here for you not her."

He made a slight motion to the two other SOLDIERS.

Tifa touched Cloud's shoulder gently.

"Cloud..." she whispered achingly.

Cloud turned around and kissed her gently on the lips.

"It's okay Tifa..." he said pressing their foreheads together.

The two SOLDIERS forcefully pulled them apart, but neither fought. As Cloud was pulled from the room, his eyes never left Tifa's. The door slammed shut. Tifa sunk to the floor and tried to stop the tears.

"Hey...don't cry." a voice croaked as a shaking hand touched her shoulder. "They just want to ask him some questions...he'll be back."

Tifa gasped and turned around. She had forgotten about Reno.

"Oh Reno!" she said horrified. "What did they do to you?"

Reno's face was bloody and bruised, his eyes practically swollen shut. Tifa didn't even want to imagine what kind of injuries were hidden by his ragged uniform.

"Don't worry about it." he said hastily. "I've been worse."

Tifa burried her face in her hands.

"Oh God Reno...what are we going to do?" she asked desperately.

Reno sighed and leaned up against the wall.

"All we can do is wait."

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Cloud was led into a small room, where he was cuffed and placed in a chair. Kale sauntered in lazily and sat across from him. Two sets of mako eyes glared at one another. Kale laughed and broke his gaze away.

"So..." he said, with mock pleasantness. "Do you know why you're here?"

Cloud didn't answer him. Kale laughed again.

"I thought you'd be difficult..." he said, sounding darkly amused. "In that case I'll just get to the point."

Kale took a deep breath and leaned back in his chair.

"You see..." he began. "Scarlet isn't too happy that you and dear Ms. Lockhart are the only ones she managed to capture...so obviously she would like to know the where-abouts of the other members of AVALANCHE."

A bubble of hope filled Cloud's chest. _They don't know where the others are..._he thought with relief. He looked back up at Kale's face and this time he was the one who laughed.

"You really think I'd tell you?" Cloud asked dryly.

Kale shook his head with a smirk. "Of course not...and you aren't really the type to be influenced by violence now are you?"

Cloud's dry amusement faded. He suspected what would be coming next.

"That's why..." Kale said, taking note of Cloud's suspicious face with a smile. "I thought we could make a little deal."

Kale stood and made sure the door was locked. He sat back down in front of Cloud.

"You tell me where the rest of AVALANCHE is, and I'll make sure she doesn't die." Kale said, meeting Cloud's glare unflichingly.

Cloud shook his head angrily. "Why should I trust you?"

Kale laughed. "Because Cloud...I most certainly want Ms. Lockhart...alive..."

A sick feeling bubbled in Cloud's stomach.

"And you have my word." Kale said firmly. "I won't do anything without her...consent."

Anger blinded Cloud. Even though he was handcuffed, Cloud stood. Swearing visciously at the man in front of him, he kicked over the chair.

"I don't believe you!" Cloud shouted, breathing heavily. "I don't believe a word, you goddamn liar."

Kale stood up also and stood inches away from Cloud.

"Then you condemn her to death." he said scathingly. "I hope you're ready to watch her die."

This sapped Cloud's anger. He turned away, shoulders heaving. Kale smiled.

"Just tell me where the other's are." he said slowly. "And I promise you her safety..."

Cloud closed his eyes. Faces shot through his mind...Barret with his young daughter perched happily on his shoulder, Cid smiling proudly at his airship, Red shaking his head amused at his human companions, Yuffie's young face as she tried to get Cloud to give him all the materia, Vincent gloomy voice giving out cryptic advice...and Tifa's beautiful face inches from his...Slowly her words came back to him.

"I'm afraid of Kale." she had whispered. "And...I'm afraid of losing you."

Tifa wasn't afraid to die. Cloud turned back towards Kale.

"No." he said firmly.

The SOLDIER's face quickly went from shock to anger.

"No?" he repeated. "No!"

Kale took a step towards Cloud, but he stopped as a buzzing sound filled the room. A second later, the emergency lights flickered off, and the normal lights came on full force. A loud unpleasant voice came over the intercom system.

"Prepare for the executions!" Scarlet's voice boomed, sounding gleeful.

Cloud's head shot up. Kale smirked at him.

"Well..." he said carelessly. "I supposed it's too late to change your mind now...I hope you enjoy your last moments alive."

Swiftly, Kale left the room and locked it behind him.


	15. Chapter Fifteen

_"Do not go gentle into that good night,  
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;  
Rage, rage against the dying of the light. "_

_Dylan Thomas_

Tifa paced the small room for the thousandth time, causing her injured hand to scream out in protest as she wrung her hands anxiously. Every now and then, she'd stop and press an ear to the door, but she was met with silence and begin her pacing again. She could take exactly three steps before she had to turn around and go in the opposite direction. She found if she focused on counting her footsteps instead of on the growing number of minutes Cloud had been missing, time passed less painfully. _Six-hundred-twenty, six-hundred twenty-one..._she thought, watching her feet. _The electricity came on at two-hundred forty-four...and Cloud will come back at six-hundred fifty, I just have to keep going till then..._Little nonsensical rules like that kept her going.

Reno eyes followed her back and forth, growing concerned of her sanity.

"Umm Tifa?" he said, as if talking to someone unstable and dangerous. "Don't you want to sit for awhile?"

_Six-hundred twenty-five, Six-hundred twenty-six..._Tifa jumped at Reno's voice but ignored him and continued counting. _Six-hundred twenty-four, Six-hundred twenty-five...wait...I'm repeating myself. Where was I? Six-hundred twenty...twenty..._

"Tifa?" Reno said louder.

"Shut up Reno!" Tifa shouted. "Twenty-eight? No, no...I wasn't there yet, was I?"

_Yea...she's lost it..._Reno thought, staring at her, bewildered. Shaking his head as Tifa continued to mumble under her breath, he licked his split lip and tried to think of what to say to her. _I've never dealt with the 'seriously disturbed' before..._he thought scratching his sore skull.

"So Tifa..." he said trying to have a soothing, calm voice. "Whatcha counting?"

Reno's voice apparently snapped her out of it. At once her rambling stopped, but before Reno could express his relief, she burst into tears and sunk to the ground. Reno watched her cry for a moment, now even more unsure of what to do. _The 'seriously disturbed' would have been easier to handle ..._he thought. _I was never good at the whole comforting thing..._

Akwardly, he slid over towards Tifa and patted her shoulder.

"There, there..." he muttered feeling like a complete idiot.

But he hadn't counted on Tifa flinging her arms around his neck and crying into his shoulder. Frozen in place, he let Tifa use him as a living hanky and debating whether or not he should return the gesture. He looked over her head and tried to figure out whether or not there was a place he could put his hands on her without making Cloud want to rip his throat out. Luckily, he was spared the decision. Tifa pulled away, wiped the last of her tears from her eyes.

"You okay?" Reno asked uncertainly.

Tifa nodded and sniffled a bit. "Yea...sorry for acting so...so..."

"Crazy?" Reno supplied helpfully. "Unhinged?"

She looked like she wanted to punch him, but he knew she wouldn't, given the condition he was in. Tifa sighed, and leaned against the wall.

"I just..." she said, trying to explain herself. "Shouldn't Cloud be back by now? Do interrogations usually take this long?"

Tifa looked up at him, her dark eyes pleading with him to have an answer. He shook his head slightly at her.

"It depends." he said simply.

She sighed again.

"I just don't understand why we had to be seperated so soon...when we finally...finally..." Tifa blushed and broke off.

"Got it on?" Reno inquired with a smirk.

This time she really did punch him. Reno laughed though even Tifa's gentlest punches still hurt like hell.

She scowled at him. "That was _not _what I was going to say!"

"It's true though, isn't it?" Reno asked, laughing triumphantly when Tifa covered her coloring face.

Feeling a tiny twinge of sympathy for the blushing girl, Reno patted her arm.

"Don't worry," he assured her, still smirking. "I won't tell anyone."

Tifa pushed his arm away but she joined in his laughter.

"You're such a jerk!" she told him scathingly, but she failed to hide her smile, and Reno knew she wasn't really mad.

He sighed in relief, glad that she wasn't crying anymore. _I may be a jerk..._he thought wryly. _But I could never stand to see a pretty girl cry._

"You're a good friend Reno," Tifa said honestly, no longer feigning anger.

Reno snapped his head towards her, a bit surprised.

"But I thought..." he stuttered. "I betrayed...I lied to you guys. I traded your lives in for money..."

Tifa considered this, tilting her head slightly. "But you weren't going to do it in the end were you?"

"No..." Reno said. "But-"

Tifa cut him off. "I forgive you then. That's what friends do."

She smiled at him, and unable to hold it back, Reno returned the smile.

"So..." he said, the smile quickly becoming a smirk again. "Now that we're friends, are you going to fill me in on what you and Cloud did when you two were in here all _alone_?"

He laughed loudly as Tifa's cheeks colored again. She was about to retort, when the door swung open. Stumbling a bit, they clambered to their feet. Scarlet stood in the doorway, surrounded by her SOLDIERS. Heidegger hovered behind her, looking nastily excited. Tifa and Reno's eyes flickered towards one another for a moment before looking back at Scarlet's manic smile.

"Looks like time has run out for both of you!" Scarlet said with a cackle.

The SOLDIERS rushed into the room, and their hands were forced into cuffs. Scarlet's laughter echoed throughout the small room. She stopped when they were both properly restrained, each of them flanked with two SOLDIERS. Slowly and delibrately, she walked up to Tifa and hit her across the face.

"Stuck up bitch." she spat, but then continued laughing. "God that felt good!"

Tifa stared at her a moment before exchanging another quick glance with Reno. _She's delusional..._Tifa thought, watching her laugh. Scarlet's eyes snapped towards her, and her laughter ended in a furious glare.

"Her first." Scarlet said decisively.

She turned on her heel and began heading down the hall. The two SOLDIERS on Tifa's sides grabbed roughly at her arms and pulled her after her. Tifa spun her head around, trying to look behind her to see if Reno was following, but one of the SOLDIERS hit her head sharply. Eyes straight ahead, and heart pounding, Tifa walked steadily after Scarlet.

After several flights of stairs and confusing turns, they came to stop at a pair of large doors.

"Take her out." Scarlet ordered the SOLDIERS. "There are some people that wish to say goodbye to her."

Tifa jerked slightly, her face showing her bewilderment. With cold laughter that could mean nothing good, Tifa was led forcefully through the doors.

As Tifa stepped through the doors, the bright sun blinded her a moment. When her vision returned to her, she noted that she was on some sort of balcony. One of the SOLDIERS gave her a rough shove, and she stumbled to the edge of it. She looked down from the balcony, and saw an enormous crowd of people below. When they saw Tifa, silence descended upon them, but it didn't last long. One person started yelling, and soon, the whole crowd was a mass of hateful faces, screaming like animals. Tifa's eyes were wide, and she could feel her heart racing out of control.

"Execute her!" they were shouting. "Execute her!"

The hateful screams slashed at heart one by one...but eventually all the voices blurred together, and Tifa began to understand. In the back of her mind, she had a mental of image of her own face, crying and screaming over her dead father, swearing revenge. She saw herself helping AVALANCHE blow up reactors, killing blindly, doing whatever it took to satisfy their vengence. Tifa smiled sadly at the people below her. _I used to be like you. _she told them silently. _I know how you feel..._

Tifa was jerked from her silent epiphany when her arms were grasped firmly. The short moment of serenity and acceptance fled from her immediately, and she looked away from the hateful crowd and tilted her face towards the sky. _Is this the last time I'll feel the sun on my face?_ she wondered. She tried to swallow the lump of fear in her throat. TIfa had never felt more frightened or alone in her life. _Where are you Cloud?_ she wondered as the door shut behind her, blocking the sunlight. _I need to see you one more time...Please...just once more and I'll be brave. Just let me touch you once more, and I'll be strong enough to die. _

Tifa was glad that Scarlet's back was turned as a single tear trailed down her cheek.

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Cloud didn't bother to struggle as he was led from the room. The two SOLDIERS at his sides led him around several turns and up a few staircases before Cloud saw anyone. Finally, at the end of a corrider, he recognized Heidegger's lump of a body andReno's unmissable red hair. He, too, was flanked by SOLDIERS. Reno's head snapped towards Cloud's as Cloud was pushed beside him. Cloud felt a knot of apprehensionn at the stricken look on Reno's face.

"Where's Tifa?" Cloud asked under his breath. "Why isn't she here too?"

"They took her." Reno said lowly.

Cloud felt his body go cold.

"Took her?" he asked numbly. "What do you mean took-"

"Scarlet said 'Execute her first'." Reno said, gulping painfully. "And they took her away.

"No..." Cloud said, his voice increasing in volume and emotion. "They haven't...she's not...Tifa's not..."

A SOLDIER hit the back of his head roughly.

"Quiet!" Heidegger commanded.

But Cloud was beyond commanding. Mako eyes smoldering in anger, Cloud turned towards Heidegger menacingly. Immediately, the SOLDIERS moved to subdue him but the sound of approaching footsteps running their way caused them to pause. Taking their moment's hesistance to his advantage, Cloud used his shoulder to knock a SOLDIER down and yelled out to Reno.

"Run!"


	16. Chapter Sixteen

_"Throughout history, it has been the inaction of those who could have acted; the indifference of those who should have known better; the silence of the voice of justice when it mattered most; that has made it possible for evil to triumph." _

_Haile Selassie_

Reno inwardly groaned as he heard Cloud shout at him to run. His foot screamed in protest as he followed Cloud down the hallway. He could hear gunshots behind him, and desperately, he pushed the pain in his foot away, and ran fast, catching up with Cloud. His entire body groaned from injuries. _Goddammit Cloud..._he thought bitterly. _I'm sure even Scarlet's way of dying would be less painful than this. _They ran several more feet, and Reno was surprised at the lack of footsteps behind them. _They aren't following us?_ Reno wondered, turning his head to look behind him.

As Reno marveled at the empty hallway behind him, Cloud emmited a sharp gasp. Reno snapped his head around, but he realized in horror, he had reacted too late, and he hit Cloud at full running force and fell backwards onto his already bruised side. Silently cursing Cloud, Reno groaned. Through the pain that was racking his body, he felt hands flipping him over.

"Reno? Reno? Oh God, what the hell did they _do_ to him?" an upset voice was asking.

_Hey..._Reno thought. _I know that voice._

"Elena!" Reno said loudly sitting up so fast his head spun.

Elena gave a cry of distress and placed a hand on his back as Reno gave another groan.

"Is this Scarlet's work?" Rude asked angrily from Elena's side, motioning with obvious distaste at Reno's battered body.

Reno nodded and smiled weakly. "Hey don't worry about it...I've had worse and you know it."

Rude and Elena exchanged glances. Elena began to say something to Reno, but stopped as another conversation interrupted theirs.

"Yea, Barret called us all up early this morning." a slim teenager was telling Cloud. "I even brought all my materia! Oh yea, and we found all the weapons and materia and stuff they took from you guys."

She pointed to a pile that contained Cloud's sword, Reno's electrod, and Tifa's glove amongst many other things.

"Your stupid sword weighs a ton!" she complained.

_Uhh...Yuffie I think..._Reno thought trying to recall her name. Reno immediately recognized Cid Highwind and the strange dog-like creature.

"Barret and Vincent are up there keeping those SOLDIERS busy." Cid said gruffly. "So we better hurry up."

Red nudged Yuffie slightly. "Don't you have the keys."

Yuffie searched her pockets frantically. Cloud sighed.

"You gave Yuffie the keys?" he said, exasperated.

Yuffie gave Cloud an angry look, but Elena jumped up quickly.

"I have them." Elena said hastily. "Yuffie dropped them on the stairwell."

Elena proceeded to unlock Reno's cuffs and then Cloud's. They stood in silence for a minute.

"So..." Yuffie said, cutting into the akward silence. "Where to now?"

Cloud answered quickly. "We have to get to Tifa."

"She's probably at the gas chamber." Reno said. "Well what are we waiting for?"

Cloud, Elena, Rude, Red, Yuffie, and Cid all stared at Reno as he tottered on unsteady legs and a trickle of blood made its way down his forehead.

"Umm..." Cid said akwardly.

Rude scratched his bald head. "Reno..."

"What?" Reno asked rebelliously.

"Elena?" Cloud asked, turning away from Reno. "You know your way out of here right?"

Elena nodded. "Come on Reno...we're leaving."

"No way!" Reno said, backing away. "I'm coming too."

Red shook his head. "I'll go with them. They might need help if they run into trouble...besides...I kind of stick out here."

Cloud gave him a slight smile and nodded. Then, he took off with Rude, Yuffie, and Cid down the hall.

"Wait!" Reno shouted after them.

Elena shook her head at him. "When will you ever give up?"

Reno sighed and allowed Elena to help support him as they made their way out, Red walking beside them amusedly.

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Tifa sighed impatiently as she tried to brush off one of the SOLDIERS gripping her arm tightly. She stood several feet away from Scarlet who was facing a large video camera. Kale stood behind her, looking rather bored with the proceedings. Making a face, Tifa stopped her struggling and began to listened to Scarlet's little speech.

"We will get rid of the remnants of AVALANCHE." Scarlet told the camera confidently. "Starting with one of their key members, Tifa Lockhart. Later today we will be executing their leader, Cloud Strife. We are confident that after we take care of them, the rest of AVALANCE will be defeated easily."

These words caused Tifa's stomach to clench slightly.

"However..." Scarlet said, giving an evil little cackle. "In the meantime, we feel that it is in the best interest of the people, that we declare war on the remaining members of AVALANCHE and anyone who decides to help them."

Tifa smothered a gasp. _War? _she thought incredulously. _How can anyone possibly believe that another war is in the "best interest of the people"..._

The camera clicked off and Scarlet, trailed by Kale, approached Tifa smiling.

"Let's see if anyone helps your little friends after that." she said truimphantly.

Tifa wanted to slap her smile off her face. She resisted the urge to struggle against her cuffs. Instead, she shrugged listlessly.

"You really believe that the sight of you strikes fear in people's hearts?" Tifa asked lightly. "It's a pretty disturbing sight...but hardly frightening."

"You little bitch..." Scarlet hissed, raising an arm to strike her.

But she lowered her arms as the lumbering footsteps of Heidegger approached them.

"Scarlet..." he wheezed, his out of shape body heaving from running.

"What?" Scarlet shrieked. "What is it?"

Heidegger, still panting, straightened up.

"The other prisoners...AVALANCHE..." he took a break to suck in air. "AVALANCHE is here...the other prisoners got away."

Scarlet let out a shrill screech. Tifa couldn't help but crack a smile. _They came..._she thought hopefully. _And Cloud and Reno are safe...Cloud is okay..._

Scarlet's eyes were wild as they heard the sound of footsteps.

"You two!" she said, motioning to the SOLDIERS on either side of Tifa. "Keep them busy."

They nodded and let go of Tifa. She made to run after them, and towards her friends but Scarlet let out another shriek.

"Grab her!" she shouted to Kale.

Tifa let out a growl of frusteration as Kale threw her over one broad shoulder and clamped her legs down so she couldn't kick. Her head bounced roughly against Kale's back as he shot down the corrider after Scarlet. Her rough ride ended in a large conference room. Kale threw her to the ground roughly. Tifa scrambled quickly to a sitting position and watched him lock the door behind Scarlet and Heidegger. Scarlet was seething.

"You!" Scarlet shouted, pointing a sharp fingernail at Kale. "This is all your fault! How did they get in? I should have you executed for this!"

Tifa turned her gaze from the still hissing and spitting Scarlet to Kale. He was leaning idly against the wall, ignoring Scarlet. Tifa narrowed her eyes as she saw him fingering the handle of his sword. She looked to his face, and tried to not to shudder at the insanity in his mako eyes. Kale noticed Tifa watching him and gave her a smirk.

"Are you even paying attention to me?" Scarlet screeched.

In a swift motion, Kale pulled his sword out, and plunged it straight into Scarlet's chest. Scarlet looked at the sword in shock for a minute, and then slumped to the floor inches away from Tifa. Horrified and disgusted, Tifa backed away from the blood leaking out of her body. Kale was laughing. Tifa wished she wasn't cuffed so she could cover her ears. Heidegger's beady eyes were wide and afraid.

"You answer to me now." Kale said to Heidegger. "Do you understand?"

"Yes..." Heidegger whispered.

Kale took a step towards him, fingering his bloody sword. "Yes?"

"Yes sir." Heidegger gulped.

"Good, good." Kale said cheerfully. "Now my first bit of business as President...hmm perhaps I should continue this war that Scarlet started. What do you think, tubby?"

"Yes sir." Heidegger said again.

A manic gleam appeared in Kale's eye. "In fact...now that I'm President...I should declare war on anyone who disagrees with me! That would be the best way to keep them under controll."

Tifa watched him, horrified. _He's completely mad..._she thought. _This guy is out of his mind!_ Suddenly, two hands reached out from behind her, one closing on her shoulder, another over her mouth, stopping her from screaming.

"Shh." a voice whispered in her ear.

Immediately she stopped struggling and the hands let go. She felt movement around her wrists, and a quiet click as her cuffs came off. Tifa threw a nervous look in Kale's direction; he was still rambling on. Quickly she turned around. Cloud's face peeked at her from under the conference table. He was hidden by the floor length table cloth. He motioned for her to follow him.

Tifa ducked under the table cloth and followed Cloud on her hands and knees. They came to the end of the table, and Cloud looked back at her.

"Here, Tifa." he said softly. "Go in front of me. There's an air vent right here."

She nodded and squeezed past Cloud. Carefully, she pulled aside the table cloth. Yuffie and Rude's anxious faces were peering at her from behind a metal grate. When they saw Tifa, Yuffie's face split into a huge grin and some of the anxiety faded from Rude's usually impassive face. Expertly and silently, Yuffie removed the grate. Tifa climbed in, Cloud behind her.

"I'm glad you're okay!" Yuffie whispered, giving Tifa a brief hug.

Hunched over, the small group crawled through the air vent.

"These should lead to outside," Rude said in his usual quiet voice.

By the time Kale noticed Tifa's absence and let out an enraged scream, they were already long gone.

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"Are you sure this is where we were supposed to meet?" Reno asked for the thousandth time.

Elena sighed and exchanged an exhausted glance with Red. Ever since they had healed Reno's wounds, he hadn't shut up. They were on a beach several miles away from Junon. A large rock formation blocked them from sight.

"This is definately the right spot," Elena said to Reno miserably.

Reno wasn't the only one impatient. The sun was already sinking below the horizon. _What's taking them so long?_ Elena wondered anxiously.

"Get down!" Red said suddenly.

Elena and Reno ducked under the rocks. Eventually Elena heard it too; the sound of approaching chocobos. The chocobos came around the rock formation, and they all came out, sighing in relief as they recognized the chocobo riders as the others. In the front, looking slightly worse for wear, were Vincent and Barret who had been keeping the SOLDIERS busy while the others snuck Cloud and Tifa out. Yuffie swung down from her chocobo, energectic as always. Cid and Rude dropped of their chocobos, looking tired. They all collapsed on the sandy beach, with the exception of Rude and Vincent who perched on the rocks in a bit more dignified manner. Elena looked up to Cloud and Tifa.

"Umm..." she said quietly, feeling a bit uncomfortable.

Everyone looked to her, then followed her gaze to Cloud and Tifa who were kissing quite contently.

"I knew it!" Reno said amusedly.

The members of AVALANCHE watched them for a minute, mouths slightly agape. Barret and Vincent both turned away with slightly melancholy smiles. Both of them had lost the love of their life; it was a similarity they shared but never acknowledged. Red just shook his head, but Yuffie looked absolutely crestfallen.

"Cough it up!" Cid whispered smugly to her.

Yuffie's lower lip quivered slightly as she dug into her pockets and handed Cid a pile of gil and materia. She sighed sadly.

"Hold on a second!" Cid hissed. "You still owe me five-hundred gil and Bahumut! We made a bet you little-"

Yuffie gave a nervous and mischeivious grin.

"So..." she said loudly, causing Cloud and Tifa to break apart. "It seems like you two are alive and well..."

Everyone laughed loudly as Cloud and Tifa blushed. Cid scowled at Yuffie.

"I'm not done with you..." he said under his breath.

Cloud scratched his head nervously. "So uhh...what next?"

"You two and Barret are welcome to stay at Cosmo Canyon..." Red said, hiding a smile. "Along with anyone else who needs somewhere to stay."

"Oh!" Tifa said, her cheeks still tinged pink. "I can't believe I almost forgot..."

Everyone turned towards her. Her blush faded and a grim look came over her face. Cloud, Rude, and Yuffie looked grim too. They obviously knew what was coming.

"Scarlet is dead." she said quietly. "Kale, one of the SOLDIERS killed her. Before she died, she declared war on AVALANCHE and anyone who helped us."

They exchanged heavy looks, but Tifa wasn't done.

"Kale decided to take over, and continue the war she started." Tifa shook her head sadly. "But this guy is insane...he's completely delusional."

Tifa broke off with a hopeless sigh. Cloud's hand found hers and gave it a squeeze.

"So...what now?" Barret asked grimly.

Cloud hesitated slightly. "If Kale is planing on waging a war against us...we have to be ready for him."

"I can talk to Pops." Yuffie's peppy voice supplied helpfully. "He's been through war before...he'll know what to do."

"Thanks..." Cloud said gratefully. "But what about the rest of you?"

"My invitation to stay in Cosmo Canyon is still open..." Red said quietly. "I don't want to put Cosmo Canyon in danger...but it is a good place to turn into a fort."

Everyone looked unethusiatic at the idea of a fort. The idea of another war was extremely unsettling.

"No one's going to like the idea..." Cloud said softly. "But we have to do what we can to be prepared."

Cid sighed. "I can get to work on the new model for the Highwind...and train a few pilots."

"Okay." Cloud said. "So Cid will go back to Rocket Town. Yuffie is going to Wutai to ask her father for help, and me, Tifa, Red, and Barret will begin establishing a fort in Cosmo Canyon. What about the rest of you?"

"I can go back to Midgar." Vincent said in his quiet voice.

They all turned his way.

"Back to Midgar?" Cid asked looking confused.

Vincent bowed his head. "I can easily go about places unnoticed. We will need someone to keep us up to date with what the enemy is doing."

Cloud nodded his agreement.

"What about the people in Fort Condor?" Tifa asked. "They know a lot about battle tactics...but they're located awfully close to Midgar. They'll be wiped out if we don't do something."

"We can take care of that." Reno said motioning to Elena and Rude. "We can warn them and then bring them to Cosmo Canyon."

Tifa gave him a grateful smile.

Cloud sighed. "That's everyone isn't it?"

They all nodded. With the prospect of a war on the horizon, they were all extremely uneasy. Now that a plan was established, they exchanged tense goodbyes and set off. Tifa felt her stomach clench with anxiety as she watched her friends go their seperate ways, but the feeling lessened slighty as Cloud caught her eye and smiled.

_I guess you have to take the bad with the good..._Tifa thought as they set off to begin a war.


	17. Chapter Seventeen

_"For it was not into my ear you whispered, but into my heart. It was not my lips you kissed, but my soul."_

_Judy Garland_

A week later, the thin crescent moon cast a small sliver of light on Cosmo Canyon. Everyone was exhausted from the construction that occured during the day. Even though it had only been worked on for a few days, you could almost tell that the stones and wooden frames would soon form a wall. The wall was to be five-hundred yards away from Cosmo Canyon at all points. When making plans for turning Cosmo Canyon into a fort, they realized that they had to leave room for more buildings to be put in. They would need room for the new people moving to Cosmo Canyon, a barracks for anyone willing to fight on their side, places for training to occur, an armory, and eventually, they would need a hospital. They had already constructed a communication tower, so that they would be able to reachthe others from within Cosmo Canyon.

All this planning and building had exhausted them all. Reeve, who had been left to watch Marlene during the rescue mission, was over-joyed that finally the others needed his help. His days with Shinra left him with a lot of helpful knowledge, and they immediately put him in charge of the construction. Reno, Rude, and Elena had returned in the middle of the week with the men from Fort Condor and their families. They immediately agreed to help train any recruits in exchange for protection. The three ex-Turks decided to hang around and help for the time being.

Ever since the tower was put in, Cid, Vincent and Yuffie called almost everyday. Cid updated them on his alterations to the new Highwind, and promised to continue looking for recruits. Vincent said that the reconstruction of Midgar would not be taking place, and that Kale was instead adding on to Junon. He agreed with Tifa that Kale was "completely out of his mind" and "delusional". Yuffie's father had pledged support to them immediately, but reminded them that Wutai's safety was his first concern. Even so, he sent over one of his best war-advisors and men to fight for them. Yuffie called frequently, relaying advice and promising that she would come to see them soon and do what she could to help.

At the present time, nearly everyone was sound asleep in Cosmo Canyon. The only ones awake were the men assigned for night guard duty, and two other figures, carefully sliding out of their respective windows.

Fully dressed, even though it was past two a.m., Tifa jumped from her windowsill to the platform. Quickly, and silently, she descended the stairs. The night air was warm, and the sky completly clear. Tifa smiled up at the starry sky. _I love nights like these..._Tifa thought contently. She smiled wider as she approached the figure waiting for her, illuminated from the glow of the Cosmo Candle.

Returning her smile, Cloud silently extended his hand to her and she took it. Hand-in-hand they walked down the stairs that led out of Cosmo Canyon. The guards stationed at the bottom smiled at them and shook their heads slightly, allowing them to pass. Once past the guards, they walked farther, crossing over the beginning of what would soon be a wall, and climbing up a small cliff. Finally they stopped on a small plateau they had claimed as their own several nights ago.

They threw themselves down on the soft grass, cuddling close even though it was a warm night.

"I'm so beat..." Tifa sighed quietly into Clouds ear.

Cloud was slowly running his hand through the silky strands of Tifa's dark hair. He, too, sighed.

"So much had happened this week." he said softly. "I can't believe how quickly everything started."

They fell into a comfortable silence. Tifa watched the stars with a smile, they reminded her of that night at the well so many years ago.

"I love it when the sky looks like that..." she said quietly. "I wish things were always this peaceful."

"Me too..." Cloud mummured, looking at her face, gently illuminated by the sliver of moonlight.

Tifa met his eyes and Cloud lifted her up slightly so he could give her a gentle kiss. She smiled at him as she lifted her head up, cheeks slightly flushed. She dipped down to give him another soft kiss, but then ducked her head back into his shoulder, giving a slight shiver depite the warm weather.

"None of this seems real..." she said softly. "I can't believe we're going into a _war_."

Cloud stroked her back gently. "Me either...This past week has been unreal...It doesn't seem like there will actually be battles somewhere down the road..."

Tifa squeezed her eyes shut.

"I don't want to lose anyone else..." she whispered. "We already lost our families, we already lost Aeris."

Cloud's grip around Tifa tightened.

"It seems inevitable doesn't it?" he said, whispering too. "Losing more people...It is a war after all."

Tifa looked up. "Are you scared?"

He considered her question, a solemn look on his face.

"Of the war? Of fighting? No..." he said slowly.

"Then what are you afraid of?" Tifa prompted softly.

Cloud pressed his lips to her hair.

"Of losing this..." he whispered hoarsly. "Of losing all this...you and me...we've just begun our lives together, haven't we? Sometimes I'm afraid that this new beginning is going to come to a brutal end..."

Tifa pressed their foreheads together and took a deep, shaking breath.

"Me too..." she whispered.

Cloud held her close, as they waited for their hearts to stop pounding in fear. Now that they had both voiced their fears, they lessened slightly. It helped to know that they didn't have to face their fears alone. After a moment, they both felt brave enough to open their eyes. Cloud smiled as Tifa's brown eyes fluttered open and met his blue mako eyes.

"Still scared?" he asked with a smile.

"Me?" Tifa said, returning his smile saucily. "Scared?"

Cloud laughed and kissed her deeply. Her arms slid up and around his neck, in a way that was becoming delightfully familiar. He threaded one hand into her hair, the other pressing gently against the small of her back. He groaned softly into her mouth as she ran her hands lightly over his chest and stomach. Tifa smiled at him impishly, and he rolled over, pulling her on top of him. She laughed quietly and pulled herself up slightly to give him a lingering kiss. Moments later, as his slid his hand over the soft skin of Tifa's stomach, he found himself in a situation that was achingly familar. He gulped as his fingers brushed lightly over her rib cage. He broke their kiss gently, and Tifa looked up at him, both of them breathing heavily.

"Tifa..." he said softly, using his other hand to trace the curves of her face.

Gently, she reached her hand up to his face, her fingers brushing against his lips.

"I don't want to stop..." she said breathily.

No longer able to form rational thoughts, Cloud bent down and their lips met in a passionate kiss.

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Dawn was breaking on the horizon, and both Cloud and Tifa's eyes fluttered open as the sun's early light came through their eyelids. Their bodies were entwined together, Tifa's hand resting on Cloud's chest, Cloud's hand gently tracing up and down her bare back. Tifa looked up at Cloud and he gave her an intimate smile. She reached up and kissed him softly.

"Good morning Tifa." he said, brushing his fingers across her cheeks.

She smiled and cuddled back into Cloud's arms.

"I love you Cloud..." she whispered, her lips brushing his bare skin.

Cloud's hand lightly trailed up her back. "I love you too Tifa..." he whispered.

They lay in each other's arms silently, pressing close against the morning chill.

"Tifa..." Cloud whispered softly. "I've been thinking..."

Tifa hoisted herself up a moment to glance at his face.

"About what?" she asked.

Cloud stroked her hair tenderly, smiling as he remembered how it felt to have that dark, sweet smelling hair all around him.

"Back when we were in Junon together..." he began, feeling the first flutter of nerves. "After you fell asleep that night...I kept thinking about...well..._you_...and all the things we could do together...all the opportunities we had available to us now that we knew how we felt about each other..."

Tifa was silent against his chest. Cloud licked his lips and continued.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is...we always get in those types of situations don't we? The way we live...constantly on the edge...our lives could end any minute. You just never know...tomorrow could never come. I just keep wondering...what are we waiting for? What if we wait too long?"

Cloud hoisted himself up into a sitting position, and pulled Tifa up with him. Her eyes were wide and her heart beating almost as fast as his own. Gently, Cloud lifted her face to look directly at him.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is..." Cloud's heart beat wildly against his ribcage. "Tifa...will you marry me?"

In a split second, Tifa's arms were thrown around his neck and her lips pressed up against his. She broke away slightly, and Cloud saw her smile, decimeters away from his own.

"Yes!" Tifa shouted, kissing him again.

Laughing, all the nervousness gone, Cloud kissed her back.


	18. Chapter Eighteen

_"Here is the test to find whether your mission on Earth is finished; if you're alive, it isn't."_

_Richard Bach_

_**One year later...**_

The beginning of the war had been incredibly slow. So much time was spent on organizing, building, and preperation that there had been little time for battles and such. Still, the world had transformed in the past year. Most people lived in one of two places: Junon or Cosmo Canyon. They had both expanded into huge cities that encircled their respective forts. Every city had a fort nowadays; the ones that didn't, did not last for long. Kalm and Costa Del Sol were almost completely destroyed by Junon's army when they refused to surrender. Some survivors managed to seek refuge in Cosmo Canyon, but the others were either killed or forced into employment by Junon. Kalm was now basically an industrial park, overseen by Heidegger. It produced massive amounts of weaponry daily. Costa Del Sol became a marina; war ships were constructed and stored there. The former citizens of Costa Del Sol who had been left behind, became the first members of Junon's navy.

This had all been reported to AVALANCHE by Vincent. He walked slowly and silently down the darkened streets of Junon. His hair had been cut short, and he wore dark, unremarkable clothing. It was a necessary change, though not one he particularly enjoyed. Nevertheless, being invisible was the only way he could continue to help his friends. Vincent lived in a small apartment, in a dark corner of Junon. He was heading there now, ready for some rest now that the most recent skirmish was over. Exactly one week ago, Junon troops headed to Cosmo Canyon to execute their first attack. Luckily, Vincent was able to warn his friends in time. He had just now gotten the news of AVALANCHE's victory.

Vincent sighed as he unlocked his door to the small apartment. Junon was not an ideal home for him. The streets were crowded and poverty-stricken. Kale, who had declared himself President after Scarlet's untimely death, had not proven to be a capable leader. His military knowledge was decent, but he did not know how to run a city. It didn't help that Presdent Kale was delusional and slightly insane. Vincent shook his head and allowed himself a slight smirk. At least he knew his friends were better off.

AVALANCHE and those loyal to them, proved much more efficient in warfare. Red had been incredibly generous by offering use of Cosmo Canyon. He often left Cosmo Canyon to travel around, trying to find refugees and offering them shelter in the thriving city around Cosmo Canyon. Yuffie's father Godo, provided them with war advisors. He also sent Yuffie to Cosmo Canyon to represent Wutai for him. Surprisingly, Yuffie had a lot of knowledge of war. Then again, she had grown up around war-talk. The people of Fort Condor also were a big help. They had an expansive knowledge of defense tactics from spending so many years protecting their fort. The Turks hung around Cosmo Canyon when they weren't otherwise occupied. They made it their job to smuggle weapons out of Costa Del Sol and into Cosmo Canyon. Reeve oversaw the maintenance of the city and Barret was in charge of providing energy for the city. With the help of refugees from Corel, the entire city was powered by coal. Overall, the people of Cosmo Canyon lived comfortably.

Cid, on the other hand, remained in Rocket Town. With the help of Shera, it had only taken him a month to construct a new airship. To everyone's surprised, Cid had named the airship after Shera, and married her soon after. The married couple worked extremely well together; so far they had produced three more airships and countless smaller planes. When they weren't working on some new aircraft, they trained pilots. Cid was on the phone with the others in Cosmo Canyon everyday, updating them on his numerous alterations, and asking for materials. Rocket Town had become the home of AVALANCHE's Air Force.

As for Cloud and Tifa...Vincent felt the corners of his mouth twitching. Cloud and Tifa had been married in the past month, and were inseperable nowadays. The wedding had been a small, private affair which Vincent was unable to attend. He had, however, called to give them his best wishes. As Vincent settled down for the first rest he'd had in days, he wondered amusedly how Barret, Reeve, and the others in Cosmo Canyon managed to get any work out of the newly weds.

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The sun had barely peeked over the horizon of Cosmo Canyon when a shrill beep in Cloud's ears jerked him into wakefulness. He shut the alarm off and groaned into his pillow for a few moments. Accepting the inevitable, Cloud gently peeled Tifa's arms off him and slid out from under the covers. He suppressed a yelp as his feet came into contact with the cold floor. Cosmo Canyon's weather could be easily compared to that of a dessert; smoldering, hot temperatures during the day, and drastically cold nights. Hoping from foot to foot, Cloud got dressed, puting on socks first before everything else. He sighed as he saw that the sun had barely risen. _Why schedule a meeting for the crack of dawn?_ he thought, feeling slightly grumpy. Stretching slightly, Cloud let out a yawn. He smiled at Tifa's prone figure sleeping soundly still. Tenderly, he pulled the sheet up higher over her bare back before heading to the bathroom.

When he came out, Tifa was stirring slightly. He sat down on the bed next to her, and traced his fingertips over her cheek gently.

"Tifa..." he said softly. "It's time to wake up...we have a meeting, remember?"

Tifa sat up sleepily, clutching the sheet up around her chest. She looked as unenthusiatic as Cloud felt. Cloud laughed slightly at her pouty face and mussed hair and planted a kiss on her cheek.

"Good morning Tifa." he said softly.

She smiled and gave him a sleepy kiss on the lips.

"Morning Cloud..." she said blinking blearily as the first rays of sunlight slipped through the window.

Tifa sighed as she got out of bed, letting the sheet drop to the floor. She let out a shriek as her feet came in contact with the floor, and her body with the chilly air. Cloud watched her, laughing as she quickly slipped on socks, shorts and a thin strapped top.

"Why is it so _cold_ in the mornings here?" she asked, giving a slight shiver.

Cloud silently walked up behind her, and lifted her hair out of the back of her shirt, pressing a kiss onto her neck. Tifa turned around, pressing close against the cold. She laughed loudly as Cloud pulled them both onto the bed and under the pile of blankets.Now feeling slightly warmer, she gave Cloud a lingering kiss. Cloud pulled away slightly and began trailng kisses down her neck.

"Cloud..." she groaned, attempting half-heartedly to sound stern. "The meeting..."

Cloud looked up to give her a rougish grin.

"What meeting?" he asked, before kissing her swiftly on the lips.

Tifa laughed and kissed him back, all thoughts of the meeting leaving her mind.

But, unfortunately for them, some people had other plans. A loud knock on the door caused them to look up from each other. Cloud felt his heart sinking; he knew what was coming.

"Cloud? Tifa?" Barret's voice boomed. "Git your asses to the meeting! It's startin' in five minutes!"

"You two better not be late again!" Reeve warned, his voice sounding obscenely cheery considering the early hour.

Yuffie's perky voice penetrated the door. "What are you two _doing_ in there!"

Cloud slapped his hand to his forehead and rolled away from Tifa. He often compared the combined effect of Barret, Reeve, and Yuffie's voices to that of an ice cold shower. Tifa giggled at Cloud's exasperation and straightened her shirt slightly.

"We'll be there!" she shouted to their friends behind the door.

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Barret, Reeve, and Yuffie all rolled their eyes at one another as they walked away.

"Those two..." Reeve said, shaking his head slightly, an amused smile on his face.

Barret shook his head in a similar fashion.

"Eh, give them a break." he said fairly. "I was a newlywed once too...I know how it feel."

Yuffie wrinkled her nose disgustedly.

"Can we change the subject, _please_?" she asked.

Barret laughed boomingly and Reeve gave a hearty chuckle. Yuffie gave them both deeply disgusted looks and sauntered ahead.

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The meeting began at six o'clock sharp. Rude, Elena, and Reno sat at the far end of the table. Reno and Rude both looked as though they were suffering from massive hangovers. It was harder to tell with Rude though; he kept his sunglasses on. Reeve, Barret and Yuffie sat in the middle of the table with Cloud and Tifa, who showed up on time just as promised. The only one missing was Red, who was out once more, searching for refugees. Seated at the head of the table was the war-advisor Godo had sent, and one of the men from Fort Condor.

"Our first battle was a huge success." the advisor was saying. "We suffered very few casualties, and the battle was short lived."

He allowed them a few seconds to revel in the success before cutting them off with a curt hand gesture.

"Yes, yes that's all very good...however...The only reason we were able to defeat President Kale's troops, is due to the fact that we were informed of the attack by Mr. Vincent...If we had been unotified, I believe we would not have been anywhere near as successful."

The room became silent, everyone's mood darkening slightly at this reasonable, but spirit-dampening reminder.

"What do you suggest then?" Cloud asked quietly.

The advisor ran a hand over his beard.

"For Reeve," he said, turning towards him. "I suggest that the outer walls of the city are made stronger. And it would be best to place snipers on the wall at all hours. I also suggest to make an evacuation plan for those living in the surrounding city, so they can make it inside the fort in case of an unexpected attack."

Reeve nodded solemnly. "I'll start working on it today..."

The advisor gave him quick thanks before turning to Yuffie.

"Have you spoken with Lord Godo yet?" he asked her.

Yuffie yawned loudly before answering.

"I talked to him last night." she informed him.

He lifted an eyebrow. "And?"

"And he's sending us more men." she said, stretching her tired arms. "Trained ones too. He thinks we need more men guarding the fort."

The advisor looked relieved.

"What about the rest of us?" Reno asked, his voice sounding scratchy.

"The rest of you can just do your normal thing." he replied. "We'll discuss further plans the day after tomorrow same time same place."

Everyone exchanged unenthusiastic glances when he left the room.

"I don't see why these meetings have to be so goddamn early." Reno said, a whine audible in his voice.

Elena rolled her eyes. "Stop _whining_ for God's sake, Reno."

He shot her a venomous look. "Like you wanna drag your ass out of bed at the crack of dawn..."

"Leave my ass out of this!" she hissed.

Barret sighed loudly. "Do you two always haveta fight like this? It's too damn early..."

"Seriously..." Yuffie said giving another yawn.

Reno and Elena muttered apologies grudgingly.

"I better go..." Reeve said checking his watch. "Unlike all of you, I actually received orders at this meeting."

Everyone glared grumpily at Reeve as he got up from the table.

"See you all at dinner!" he said cheerfully.

Tifa sighed and leaned against Cloud's shoulder as the door slammed behind Reeve.

"What are you going to do today?" Cloud asked her.

Tifa shrugged. "I'll probably see what kind of help they need at the hospital again. Maybe Marlene will want to tag along again, as long as that's okay with you Barret."

Barret smiled briefly.

"Jus' keep her out of trouble." Barret told her. "I don't want none of those nurses knockin' at my door again..."

Tifa laughed at this. Marlene did have a bit of a knack for getting in trouble.

"What about the rest of you guys?" Cloud asked.

Barret sighed. "Reeve will be asking for me sometime today, wanting electricity for that damn wall of his."

All eyes turned towards Yuffie. She, too, sighed.

"Pops will be calling any second," she said gloomily. "He'll be barking a bajillion commands at me."

Everyone turned towards the Turks. Elena and Reno still looked sulky, so Rude answered for them.

"Weapon shipment," he said briefly. "Cid needs some of the goods we brought in two nights ago."

Cloud nodded at him.

"What about you?" Tifa asked Cloud.

"I'll probably go down to the training camp..." Cloud said. "They always need help training the new recruits in combat."

Everyone looked slightly gloomy about their plans for the day.

"Well..." Barret said. "We better get started..."

The entire room gave a loud sigh. They trailed out of the room, each of them filling their cups to the brim with coffee as they left. It was time for another exhuasting day. Cloud gave Tifa a quick kiss before they set off in opposite directions.

"See you at dinner." he whispered in her ear.

Tifa smiled as he set off towards the training camp, and began heading toward's Barret's place to get Marlene.

_Author's note: Oops. I forgot to include Red in this chapter...Really sorry about that! I knew I forgot somebody...Well I fixed it! Sorry, won't happen again._


	19. Chapter Nineteen

_"One hundred years from now, it will not matter what my bank account was, how big my house was, or what kind of car I drove. But the world may be a little better, because I was important in the life of a child."_

_Forest Witcraft_

The sun was blaring full force by the time Tifa was on her way to pick up Marlene. At first she welcomed the warmth of the sun on her chilled skin, but as always, she began to long for the chilly mornings and nights. She stopped for a quick moment to sweep her hair up in an elastic and off her back; the ends of her hair still tickled the top her back. Tifa was grateful her hair no longer reach her thighs. Feeling slightly cooler now that the weight of her hair was off her back, Tifa continued on her way.

Barret's home was located in the original part of Cosmo Canyon. When he was home, Red still lived in his old home where he used to live with Bugenhagen. Everyone else had built their homes around the base of the structure. Their homes were simple and small, but they were all lived very comfortably. _It's nice to live so close to friends..._Tifa thought, her eyes avoiding the glare of the sun. The AVALANCHE members who lived in Cosmo Canyon, along with the Turks all ate dinner together at the old Cosmo Canyon Inn. The innkeeper gave them free dinner. It was always a relief to know that no matter how stressful the day was, they always had a hot meal and friends waiting at the Inn at 7 o'clock sharp every evening.

Tifa stopped at Barret's door, pushed it open, and gratefully stepped into the cool, dark, livingroom. She slipped off her shoes and placed them next to Barret's, who had somehow made it to the house before her. Tifa leisurely made her way into the kitchen where a pajama-clad Marlene was talking animately to the coffee-siping Barret over a bowl of cereal. Her short legs were swinging in the chair and her arms were moving to emphasize her words as she explained to Barret a dream she had last night. Tifa stifled a laugh at Marlene's enthusiasm. Barret and Marlene's heads shot towards the doorway.

"Tifa!" Marlene said happily. "I had a dream last night!"

Tifa smiled and sat across from Marlene at the table.

"What did you dream about?" she asked Marlene, leaning in interestedly.

Marlene looked thrilled at the attention. Barret shot Tifa a half amused, half exasperated look that Marlene luckily missed. Apparently he had been listening to Marlene's long-winded dream explanantion for quite some time.

"It was about the candle!" Marlene said, pointing her finger in the direction of the Cosmo Candle. "Papa sat on it, and made it go out and then Red got angry and bit him. So I bit Red! And then Cloud taught me how to use fire materia but Yuffie stole it from me and I couldn't relight the candle and-"

Barret's PHS interrupted Marlene's explanation. Tifa chuckled quietly at the relief on Barret's face. He walked out into the other room to talk on the phone.

"So Marlene..." Tifa said quickly, before she went back into the epic telling of her dream. "I wanted to know if you'd like to come help out at the hospital with me again."

Marlene's eyes widened excitedly.

"Today!" she asked, jumping up from her seat happily.

Tifa nodded with a smile. "Go get dressed, we can leave as soon as your ready."

Marlene shot out of the room. Tifa laughed quietly and dumped out Marlene's abandoned cereal in the sink. After being left with Elmyra during the Meteor crisis, Marlene was overjoyed to be able to see her father, Tifa, and Cloud daily. Red was surprisingly sweet with her, and she seemed to get along alright with Elena and Reno...but for some reason, the little girl was obsessed with and terrified of Rude. No matter how many times Tifa or one of the others assured her that Rude had normal eyes just like the rest of them, Marlene spent hours theorizing about what was under those sunglasses. Tifa smiled amusedly. _Poor Rude..._she thought sympathetically. _He's doesn't seem to be comfortable around children in the first place..._

"Where'd Marlene go?" Barret asked, walking into the kitchen.

"She's upstairs getting dressed," Tifa said, putting away the now clean bowl. "Who was on the phone?"

Barret sighed and sat down at the table. "Reeve...he wants electricity for his wall. Actually, I better git down there."

"Okay," Tifa said. "I'll keep an eye on Marlene today until dinner."

Barret nodded and smiled his thanks. "I better go down to Ms. Elmyra's and tell her that she don't haveta worry about Marlene today."

"How is Ms. Elmyra?" Tifa asked, her voice concerned. "I know the attack on Kalm and the transfer to Cosmo Canyon was rough on her..."

Barret sighed. "She's seems sad. But she says she enjoys seein' Marlene...says she reminds her of Aeris."

They both worked hard to hide the sorrow on their faces as Marlene came running into the kitchen. Barret swept her up before she collided with the table.

"I'm gunna go help Reeve today, okay Marlene?" he said, kissing her cheek.

"Papa!" Marlene said, giggling. "Your whiskers _tickle_!"

Barret set her down on the floor and smiled. Before he left, he shouted over his shoulder-

"Be good fer Tifa!"

Marlene smiled innocently. "I will Papa!"

Tifa rolled her eyes good-naturedly.

"Are you all set to go?" she asked Marlene cheerfully.

Marlene shook her head and extended her hands which held a brush and an elastic.

"Will you put my hair up like yours?" she asked, pointing at Tifa's dark hair.

Tifa took a moment to look over Marlene. She was dressed in beige shorts and a white, thin-strapped top. Tifa didn't have to look down to know she was wearing almost the exact same thing. Suddenly feeling a pang of sorrow for the little girl who had never known her mother, Tifa took the brush and motioned Marlene into a chair. As she brushed the tangles out of Marlene's light brown hair, Tifa recalled how her own mother used to brush her hair for her, starting at the bottom so she wouldn't hurt Tifa. When Tifa finished, she gave Marlene a smile to hide her melancholy mood and they left the house hand-in-hand.

"You know Marlene..." Tifa said softly as they walked slowly into the hot sun. "My mother died when I was just a little older than you, and I used to live with just me and my father."

Marlene looked up at Tifa, her pony-tail swinging as she did so.

"Just like me and Papa?" she asked.

Tifa nodded. "Just like you and your papa."

"Where's _your _papa now, Tifa?" Malrene asked curiously.

"My Papa..." Tifa said sadly. "He died when I was fifteen."

Marlene nodded solemnly. "My real papa is dead too. Papa told me."

She used her free hand to free the end of her necklace from the top of her shirt. She held it up so Tifa could see the pendant on the end.

"This was my mama's..." Marlene said proudly. "Papa gave it to me...he said my real papa wanted me to have it."

Tifa touched it gently. "It's beautiful Marlene."

Marlene smiled and let the necklace rest atop her shirt.

"Aren't I lucky?" she asked Tifa cheerfully. "I have a mama and papa watching over me in heaven, and a Papa to watch over me here! And I have you and Cloud and Ms. Elmyra and..."

Tifa grinned broadly into the bright sun as Marlene listed off the many people who loved her. Tifa felt the brief sorrow about her parents leave her as she listened to Marlene carry on merrily. _Sometimes I think Marlene is the wisest person I know..._Tifa thought wryly as they turned away from the main structure of Cosmo Canyon and walked towards the building that was used as a hospital. She turned her head to the side as they passed by the training camp, looking for Cloud, but there were only a few recruits outside doing standard exercises. She stopped her search when she felt a tugging at her arm. Marlene had stopped walking. Tifa turned to ask her why she had stopped, but as her gaze flicked in front of them, Tifa immediately knew the reason.

"Hello!" Tifa said loudly waving her hand at the Turks.

She walked up to them, Marlene clinging to her legs from behind.

"Hello Tifa." Reno said, placing boxes in the back of a truck. "Where's your porcipine-head of a husband?"

Elena rolled her eyes.

"Just ignore him Tifa." she said before bending down to smile at Marlene. "Good morning Malrene. How are you?"

But Marlene wasn't listening. Her eyes were glued to Rude's glasses. Tifa gave Elena an exasperated look.

"Marlene?" Tifa said, trying to pull her out from behind her. "Aren't you going to say hello to Elena, Reno, and Rude?"

"Hello..." Marlene said distractedly, not taking her gaze off those glasses.

"Hello Marlene," Reno said loudly.

Tifa exchanged bemused looks with Elena and Reno as they noticed Rude scratching his bald head uncomfortably.

"So, uhh, Rude... " Elena said, grinning.

Reno chuckled lowly. "Aren't you gunna say hello to Marlene here?"

Rude shot them a frown. Tifa stifled a laugh as they gave Rude their most innocent faces..

"Hello." Rude said shortly, before leaving to get another box.

Marlene narrowed her eyes at his retreating back. As soon as Rude was out of hearing distance, Tifa, Reno, and Elena burst into laughter.

"So..." Tifa said, still chuckling slightly. "When do you all plan to head out?"

Elena and Reno sighed simultaniously as Tifa reminded them of less light-hearted matters.

"Not till after dinner..." Elena said. "We should be back late tomorrow though."

Tifa tilted her head. "You're going to come back so soon? You'll have to work quickly then..."

"We don't usually stay in Rocket Town for long anyways..." Elena said, glancing quickly at Reno.

Reno smirked. "Me and Cid don't get along all that well."

"That's not too hard to believe..." Tifa muttered.

They all laughed quietly but Marlene tugged at Tifa's arm.

"Tifa!" she said, glancing back to the storage shed that Rude had disappeared into. "Let's _go_! Please!"

Tifa shook her head and gave the others a smile.

"We better go then..." she said. "Take care!"

Elena and Reno said goodbye, and Tifa and Marlene set off again. As soon as they had gone a considerable distance, Marlene regained her talkative nature.

"What's _under_ them Tifa?" she asked, her eyes wide.

Tifa sighed. "Normal eyes Marlene. Just like everyone else."

Marlene gave her a skeptical look.

"Have you ever seen them?" she asked Tifa.

"Well...n-no I umm haven't-" Tifa stuttered.

Marlene eyes got even wider and she grabbed onto Tifa's hand with her other hand too.

"Then how do you know they're normal?" she asked, voice hushed. "If you've never seen them? They could be alien eyes! Or...red eyes!"

"Vincent has red eyes." Tifa said reasonably. "You met him once, and you weren't afraid of him."

She ignored her.

"Or maybe..." Marlene said lowering her voice dramitically. "Maybe he doesn't have eyes! Maybe there's _nothing_ under his glasses!"

Tifa sighed and gave up trying to reason with her. _At least we're almost there..._she thought, relieved. _Maybe if Marlene is busy, she won't obsess over those stupid glasses..._Marlene's theories grew more and more dramatic as they approached their destination. Tifa tried not to laugh as they walked through the double doors and into the hospital.


	20. Chapter Twenty

"_What lies before us, and what lies ahead of us, are tiny matters compared to what lies within us."_

_Anonymous _

The hospital was not a very large building; it consisted of two floors. The first floor had two spacey rooms: a waiting room and a room for medical treatment. The latter contained several beds with curtains that could be drawn around and a closet full of medical supplies. This was the floor Tifa and Marlene usually stayed on; it was for minor injuries that did not require a long stay. All the patients requiring longer-term care were on the second floor.

As they walked inside, a rush of cool air met their warm skin quite pleasantly. Helping out in the hospital had its perks. At the desk in the waiting room, a nurse looked up and smiled. Tifa and Marlene both smiled back. It was the nurse from Mideel- she had come to Cosmo Canyon shortly after the start of the war along with the doctor that worked alongside her. The little hospital had a several other nurses, and a couple other doctors but they were usually pretty short on help.

"Tifa!" the nurse exclaimed happily. "I was hoping you two would pop in today."

"Busy day?" Tifa asked, walking over.

The nurse nodded exhaustedly.

"We still have people injured from the battle last week." the nurse said quietly. "Hopefully we can discharge some of them soon."

Marlene skipped behind the desk and sat down in the chair next to the nurse.

"Has anyone come in yet today?" she asked, swinging her feet.

The nurse shook her head.

"No, not yet." she then turned to Tifa. "Would it be too much trouble for you to be the only one down here today?"

"Of course not!" Tifa said cheerfully. "Me and Marlene can manage just fine."

She sighed in relief.

"Thank you both so much." the nurse said gratefully. "I better go up and see what I can do then. You know where to find me if you need help."

The nurse left and Tifa and Marlene began settling down for what would most likely be a very busy day.

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The day was a blur of cure materia and potions. Tifa rarely had to deal with serious injuries; usually the people she saw were recruits that had somehow injured themselves during training. She had plenty of experience dealing with minor injuries from the battle for the planet the year before. Marlene always sat at the desk, sometimes running back to tell Tifa if there was an injury that required immediate attention. The desk was filled with drawings that Marlene made. Usually patients left with one of Marlene's drawings; they often found it difficult to refuse it when she offered one.

"You're good to go!" Tifa said, smiling at the young man whose cut she just healed.

He gave her his thanks and left the room.

"I made a picture for you!" Marlene said happily as he walked past the desk. "Have a nice day!"

Tifa sighed and sat down on one of the beds for a brief moment. She immediately recognized the fuzzy feeling she suddenly got in her brain. She quickly got up and walked over to the supply closet. _Just my luck!_ she thought tiredly. _Out of ethers…_ Tifa closed the closet and walked up to the desk.

"Marlene?" she said, drawing her attention away from her intent coloring. "I need to run out to the warehouse and refill the stock of ethers."

"No Tifa!" Marlene said eagerly. "Let me go!"

Tifa looked unsure. "I don't know Marlene…"

Marlene grabbed her hand and gave her best puppy-dog eyes.

"Puh-lease Tifa!" she pleaded. "I've done it before."

"Okay, okay." Tifa laughed. "Just be careful."

Ecstatically, Marlene sprung off the chair and out the door. Tifa watched her retreating back, bemusedly. When she disappeared around a bend, Tifa sighed and slumped in her chair. _What a long day…_she thought tiredly. Her stomach grumbled hungrily in agreement. She bent over, rummaging in the drawers for something to eat. She was about to give up when a cheerful voice caused her to look up.

"Can't you get any decent medical care around here?" a teasing voice said.

"Cloud!" Tifa said, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

Cloud held up his blood-covered forearm. There was a long, deep looking cut on it. Tifa made a face.

"How'd that happen?" she asked standing up and leading him by the hand into the other room.

Cloud sighed. "One of the recruits lost control of their weapon."

Tifa laughed loudly. Cloud poked her in the side and gave her an over exaggerated pout.

"I came here to be nurtured and healed…" he said mournfully. "And instead, I get laughed at."

Tifa rolled her eyes.

"Poor baby…" she said, giving him a gentle kiss.

Cloud laughed. "Now that's more like it."

Tifa smiled and pulled away. She mopped up the blood with a clean cloth and gently cleaned along the cut. She was about to heal it up with a cure spell when she remembered-

"I'm out of MP…" she told Cloud. "I sent Marlene to get some ethers at the warehouse…she should be back by now."

Cloud shrugged. "Maybe it's more than she can carry."

"Hmm…maybe." Tifa said, looking out the window. "I better go see if she needs help. You wait here!"

"Yes m'am!" Cloud said, smiling broadly.

Tifa snorted loudly as she left the room. Outside, the sun was lower in the sky, and cast shadows around the landscape. _Must be nearly dinner time…_Tifa thought as her stomach growled again. The warehouse was located a bit away from everything else, behind a large rock formation. Tifa made her way around the rocks and entered the large warehouse.

"Marlene!" she called. "Do you need help?"

There was no response. Feeling the first flutters of anxiety, Tifa raised her voice.

"Marlene! Are you in here? Answer me…"

Again, Tifa was met with silence. Now definitely feeling anxious, Tifa strode down the aisles of supplies in the warehouse searching for the little girl.

"Marlene?" Tifa shouted. "If you're in here, please answer me!"

Her voice echoed loudly. Tifa felt her heart begin to pound. _Where did she go?_ Tifa wondered, searching the warehouse with slightly panicked eyes. _Marlene wouldn't just ignore me…_she thought frightenedly. _She must not be in here…but where would she have gone? She knows better than to just run off!_ Tifa began to run slightly, still searching for Marlene. She let out a tiny scream in shock, when she ran into somebody.

"Tifa?" Cloud said. "What's wrong?"

Tifa grabbed his uninjured arm, eyes wide with worry and fear.

"Cloud, Marlene's not in here!" Tifa said desperately. "She's gone, I don't know where she is!"

Cloud's eyes narrowed sharply. He pried Tifa's fingers off him and put his arm around her comfortingly.

"Don't worry Tifa," he said gently, leading her towards the entrance. "She couldn't have left the fort, we'll find her."

Tifa covered her face and shook her head.

"What if she fell off a cliff?" she moaned. "What if she's hurt? I should have never let her out on her own!"

Cloud sat her down on a bench at the front of the warehouse.

"Calm down Tifa." he told her quietly, taking her hands. "We'll find her, we just have to stay calm, okay?"

Tifa took a steadying, shaky breath.

"You're right," she said softly. "Let's go look for her."

Cloud nodded soberly and pulled her up by the hand. He started walking towards the door but Tifa stopped him.

"Your arm!" she said, pointing to the cut. "Let me fix it up first."

She turned back to grab an ether from one of the boxes. She downed it quickly and threw the empty bottle in the trash. She tried to concentrate on the cure spell, but she found that her mind was still fuzzy. Furrowing her brow, she tried again.

"I can't do it." she told Cloud confusedly.

"You probably just can't concentrate because you're worried." Cloud said softly. "Here, give me your cure materia, I'll do it."

He took the materia and quickly healed the cut.

"Come on…" he said, grabbing her hand. "We better start looking…"

Tifa nodded and they left the warehouse.

An hour later, they were starting to get desperate.

"Marlene!" they shouted, running through the fort.

Cloud stopped a passing woman.

"Have you seen a little girl recently?" he asked her.

"She's about this tall." Tifa said, her voice filled with anxiety. "Light brown hair in a ponytail…big brown eyes?"

The woman shook her head. Tifa and Cloud exchanged worried glances.

"We should get the others to look…" Tifa said lowly, heart pounding with fear for Marlene.

Cloud nodded. "Let's go…"

They walked quickly up the path. Tifa burst into a run, dragging Cloud behind her, when she saw the Turks up ahead.

"Reno! Elena! Rude!" she shouted. "Have you seen Marlene? She's been missing for about an hour and-"

Tifa stopped abruptly when they all shook their heads. Her shoulders slumped disappointedly and Cloud ran a reassuring hand through her hair.

"Well…" Cloud said quietly. "Keep an eye out for her…"

Tifa looked up at them pleadingly.

"Could you help us look?" she asked, feeling tears prick her eyes. "I couldn't bear it if something bad happened to her…"

Reno looked at Rude and Elena and gave a defeated sigh. _As if I could say no…_he thought.

"We'll help." Reno assured Tifa.

"We can delay leaving," Elena said patting Tifa on the shoulder. "Not like we wanted to go anyways…"

"We'll help." Rude said quietly.

"Thank you…" Tifa said gratefully.

"Thanks…" Cloud muttered. "Where are you all going to look?"

"I'll search the barracks…" Reno offered, heading off in that direction.

Elena pondered for a minute. "I guess I can look around the training camp."

She too, left. Rude stood for a minute before speaking.

"I'll check around the wall." he said shortly before walking away.

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The sun sank below the horizon, night fell, and there was still no sign of Marlene. Barret was inconsolable. He had run all over the fort, shouting for her before Reeve quietly suggested he waited at Elmyra's house. At first he refused, but Reeve, Tifa, and the others insisted. He sat in Elmyra's living room, head in his hands, determinately ignoring the cup of tea in front of him.

Tifa and Cloud knocked on every door inside the fort at Cosmo Canyon, asking anyone if they'd seen Marlene. No one had. Cloud tried to keep Tifa calm, but as it got darker, and darker, he was starting to get worried too. Reno had finished searching the barracks, and Elena the training camp, but neither of them had any success. Reeve had searched through all the offices and meeting rooms, and Yuffie had covered the area around the warehouse, but proceeded to search elsewhere when there was no sign of her.

Rude, however, was still searching around the outside of the wall. There was about a mile of rocky wilderness between the wall and the city at all points. Rude narrowed his eyes carefully, using the skills he had gained through many years as a Turk to try and decipher whether anyone had been in the area recently. He walked around the wall slowly and carefully. He stopped to examine a large bush at the foot of it. Slowly and carefully, Rude pulled the bush away from the wall. His gaze sharpened when he saw the hole. It was large enough for a medium sized adult to fit through; definitely big enough for a child.

He turned away from the whole and began walking away from the wall. If Marlene went through the hole, she'd be somewhere in the vicinity. He carefully examined all the caves and drop offs. His eyes narrowed as he saw a small ravine that dropped down about four feet. There was a small figure curled up at the bottom of it. Carefully, he removed his sunglasses, and dropped down into the ravine. He knelt slowly next to the figure and gentle prodded her shoulder.

Marlene woke from her doze immediately. Her face was tear-stained and dirty. She backed away, terrified, when she saw his large form in front of her.

"Who are you?" she asked, staring up at his dark brown eyes.

Slowly, Rude pulled his sunglasses out of a pocket and showed them to her. She stared at them for a moment before comprehension dawned on her.

"Ooh…" she said, her voice lowered in awe. "You're Rude."

He nodded. She looked at him for another moment and crouched forward to look at his eyes.

"They're normal." she said, a tinge of disappointment evident in her voice.

Rude nodded. "Yes."

Marlene watched silently as he climbed out of the ravine. He reached down and lifted her out of the ravine. He straightened up and tried to place her back on the ground, but she kept her arms tightly coiled around his neck. He gave a brief sigh and carried her back into the fort.

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There was an anxious air at Elmyra's house. Barret sat tensely on the sofa, still not touching his tea. Everyone else stood around, not speaking. Cloud and Tifa stood together at the window, every minute or two, Tifa would look out.

"Yuffie and Rude aren't back yet…" she whispered to Cloud, trying to sound optimistic. "Maybe they…"

Her voice trailed off. Everyone looked up hopefully as the door swung open.

"Didja find anything?" Barret asked, standing up and tipping over the tea.

Yuffie walked through the door, alone and somber-faced. She shook her head, quiet for once. Everyone sighed disappointedly. Yuffie sat in the corner next to Reeve and drew her knees up to her chest. Reeve patted her gently on the shoulder.

Several minutes later, the door knob moved again. This time, everyone sprung up, tense. _If that isn't Marlene…_Tifa thought, heart thundering. _God, I don't even want to think about that._ But the door swung open, and Rude walked in, carrying Marlene. Barret jumped up joyfully.

"Marlene!" he shouted.

Marlene looked up and smiled.

"Papa!" she said happily.

Barret pulled her gently from Rude's arms.

"Marlene…" he said, voice full of emotion. "I was so worried."

Everyone felt the first smile in several hours come across their face at the touching scene before them. Reno and Elena patted Rude on the back with smiles, ignoring the fact that his sunglasses off and saving the teasing for later. Rude quietly told Reeve that there was a hole in the main wall that he should see to. Yuffie began bouncing around the room, acting like herself again. Elmyra wiped a few tears from her eyes; she was glad Barret didn't have to suffer through what she did- there was little worse than losing a child.

"Never do that to me again!" Barret was saying, his voice only half stern.

Marlene pulled away slightly, giving Barret a wide-eyed look.

"I didn't mean to go so far!" she said. "But I had to because-"

"It's okay Marlene." Barret said quietly. "You can tell me all 'bout it tomorrow, okay? I better gait you to bed."

The others bade them goodnight and watched the two leave with smiles on their faces. None of them knew that this seemingly small decision was one they would all come to regret.


	21. Chapter TwentyOne

"_To build may have to be the slow and laborious task of years. To destroy can be the thoughtless act of a single day."_

_Sir Winston Churchill_

Everyone chatted happily as they left Elmyra's house. Moments earlier, they had been tense, alert, and over-come with worry, but now they were all cheerfully exhausted. The Turks were discussing their new plans to leave early tomorrow, and Reeve was muttering under his breath about the hole in the wall. Yuffie happily said goodnight to them all and ran off to her house.

Their group slowly diminished as everyone headed off to their separate homes to catch some sleep. Cloud sighed and turned to Tifa, who was leaning heavily against him.

"See?" he said softly. "Everything turned out okay."

Tifa didn't say anything.

"Tifa?" he asked, nudging her.

Her head shot up.

"Sorry Cloud," she said shakily. "I guess I'm just really tired…"

Tifa's face was pale in the moonlight. Cloud rubbed his hands up and down her arms, concerned.

"You okay?" he asked, taking note of how pale and shaky she was.

She closed her eyes and swayed slightly.

"I don't know…" she answered faintly.

Cloud placed a stabilizing arm around her waist.

"Come on Tifa," he said worriedly. "Let's get up to bed, you'll feel better after some rest."

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Vincent slowly mopped the floor, not really focusing on what he was doing. He slowly inched his way across the linoleum floor of the conference room. Working a night-shift janitorial job was not exactly ideal, but it had its upsides. Vincent kept his face carefully blank and scrubbed more vigorously at a spot on the floor.

"And the men made it out successfully?" Kale was asking an advisor.

The advisor, a sallow skinned, white-haired man nodded.

"Good, good…" Kale said with a gleam in his eye.

"They replaced it all…" the man wheezed. "No one saw them...they're on their way back now."

Kale clasped his hands in front of him in a pleased fashion.

"How long does it take for the poison to take effect?" he asked, smiling maliciously.

The advisor considered. "Four to five hours."

The two fell silent. Vincent quickly finished the floor and made his way out. Taking long strides, he pushed his mop and bucket into the janitorial closet and locked the door behind him. He quickly pulled out his PHS. _Who would be up at this hour?_ he wondered. _Reeve, most likely._ Vincent dialed Reeve's number, and after three rings, Reeve picked up.

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Cloud's eyes snapped open, and he sat up in bed. He and Tifa were piled under blankets against the night's cold. Cloud looked around the room sleepily, trying to figure out what had woken him. The room was illuminated by moonlight, but nothing seemed to be out of place.

Figuring it was nothing, Cloud looked down at Tifa. He smiled at her back and gently brushed a long strand of hair off her shoulder. His smile faded away when he saw that she was shaking violently.

"Tifa!" he said loudly, his brow creasing in concern. "What's wrong? Are you cold?"

He gently grabbed her and pulled her close to warm her up, but he was surprised to see that her skin was cold at all; it was hot to the touch. Still shaking, Tifa opened her eyes slightly and let out a low moan.

"Tifa?" Cloud said, his voice sounding nothing short of terrified. "What's wrong? Where does it hurt?"

Tifa's arms were clenched tightly around herself. Sweat beaded on her forehead.

"Cloud?" she whispered, voice trembling. "I think…I think I'm gunna be sick…"

"Okay," he said. "Come on Tifa, let's go to the bathroom…"

He stood and tried to help her up, but she curled up tightly and shook her head.

"I can't." she cried.

Cloud paled at the pain in her voice. She let out another moan, and quickly, Cloud picked her up and carried her to the bathroom.

"It's okay Tifa," he said, trying to be soothing, but feeling confused and terrified. "I've got you, it's okay."

He set her down gently by the toilet, placing his arm around her waist to support her. She gripped the edges of the bowl tightly with both hands. Her breathing was loud and erratic. Cloud held her hair back and held her up as she was violently sick. Finally, she pulled away from the toilet and slumped back against him.

"You okay now?" he asked, gently brushing her hair off her hot forehead. "Come on, I'll carry you back to be-"

But Tifa suddenly lurched forward and grabbed the bowl again. Cloud sprung up, pulling her hair back away from her face. She dry heaved a couple times, and then started coughing uncontrollably. Cloud pulled her away from the toilet and into his arms, trying to figure out what to do.

"Tifa? Tifa?" he said, voice getting louder due to panic.

Her head lolled back against his chest.

"Oh God…" he cried desperately. "Come on Tifa, I'm taking you to the hospital. I've got you okay? Everything's going to be fine…"

Quickly, hands shaking, Cloud pulled on a pair of pants and wrapped Tifa in blanket. He carried her out the door, and began running towards the hospital.

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In the conference room at Cosmo Canyon, everyone looked strange and out of place in their pajamas. Yuffie, Reno, Elena, Rude, the war advisor from Wutai, Barret, and little Marlene on Barret's lap were all paying rapt attention to Reeve as he relayed the phone call from Vincent.

"They poisoned something here…" Reeve said shaking his head solemnly. "It could be the water-supply…but that would be highly ineffective. The water supply here is a moving spring…the poison would simply go straight through…"

They all absorbed this information and tried to come up with a solution. Barret shook his head.

"I dunno…" he said. "Did you try Cloud an' Tifa again?"

Reeve nodded. "Neither of them are picking up."

The group fell into silence. Suddenly, Yuffie jumped as though something had occurred to her.

"Marlene!" she said, turning to the little girl. "Did you see something suspicious today? Is that why you wandered outside the wall?"

Marlene looked hesitantly from Barret to Yuffie. Barret nodded at her.

"It's okay Marlene." he said quietly. "You can talk."

Marlene sat up straighter in Barret's lap and tucked her legs under her as she began her story.

"I was going to get the ethers because Tifa needed one and the supplies were all out." she said, sounding proud of her helpfulness. "But when I got to the warehouse place, there were already people there."

The war advisor leaned in curiously. "What kind of people."

"Men." Marlene said. "Strange men, I hadn't never seen them before."

"What were the men doing?" Reeve asked her quietly.

Marlene wrinkled her nose. "I'm not so sure…They were putting boxes in the warehouse, and there was a pile of boxes by that hole in the wall that they took with them. But I recognized the boxes! I knew that one of the boxes was the one Tifa needed, so I followed them out the hole."

Everyone paled slightly as they digested this news.

"Where'd they go?" Barret gulped.

"Dunno." Marlene shrugged. "I fell 'member?"

They fell silent.

"So…" Reno said slowly. "They stole some of our supplies and replaced it with poison."

Reeve gave a little jump.

"We have to call the hospital and tell them!" he said, grabbing for a phone.

They all listened somberly as Reeve warned the nurse not to use any potions, ethers, antidotes, or anything.

"Don't give the patients anything!" Reeve said succinctly.

The nurse was talking frantically to Reeve, her voice sounding slightly panicked. Reeve paled.

"What?" he said faintly. "How many?"

There was more terrified speaking at the other end. Reeve sank into a chair and covered his face with his hand.

"Don't give antidotes to anyone else." he said softly. "How many people are poisoned?"

The others looked up anxiously at Reeve as he hung up.

"There are about fifty poisoned people at the hospital now." he said dully. "They've given twenty of them antidotes."

Their eyes widened at this information.

"But…" Elena said softly. "If the antidotes are poisoned too…"

Reeve lowered his gaze. "They're probably not going to make it."

Barret gently stroked Marlene's head as she hid her face into his chest.

"What about the rest?" Barret asked quietly. "The ones who haven't had an antidote?"

Reeve shrugged helplessly.

"I don't know…" he said. "I suppose it depends how strong the poison is, and how much they had."

Rude stood up. "We'll bring back antidotes from Rocket Town."

Elena and Reno stood too.

"The materials Cid wanted will have to wait." Reno said matter-of-factly.

Elena nodded. "We'll take gold chocobos instead of the truck…we'll get there much faster."

The others nodded. The Turks sat back down. Reeve was about to speak again when his PHS rang. Everyone watched as he picked up the phone.

"Hello?" Reeve asked, voice brittle and tense.

A man's anguished voice could be faintly heard at the other end. Reeve's eyes bulged slightly.

"Have they given her an antidote?" Reeve asked, quickly, his voice quaking. "Have they-"

The voice on the phone made a reply and Reeve slumped in relief.

"Okay…" Reeve said soothingly into the phone. "Reno, Elena, and Rude are going to get antidotes okay? The rest of us will be over shortly."

Reeve placed his head in his hand again as he hung up the phone.

"What is it?" Yuffie asked, her young voice sounded frightened.

Reeve looked up slowly. "Tifa's been poisoned."

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Cloud poked his head out of the curtain that hid Tifa's bed from the rest of the room. The hospital was loud with shouting and pain-filled voices. Every bed was filled, the nurses and doctors were starting to put makeshift beds on the floor in this room and in the waiting room. The panic and chaos around him made him feel as though he were suffocating. But he tried to squish the feeling, and reached out and grabbed the arm of a passing doctor.

"Doctor!" he said, unable to hide the fear in his voice. "Don't you have anything you can give her?"

The doctor was sweating heavily, his eyes were tinged with panic. He shook his head.

"Everythings poisoned...I can't do anything." he said, anguished.

Cloud grabbed his shoulders to keep him from leaving.

"What about heal materia?" Cloud pleaded. "We gave all our heal materia to the hospital...why can't we use it?"

The doctor patted Cloud's shoulder, trying to be cosoling.

"It...was in the warehouse." the doctor said lowly. "It's gone."

He wriggled out of Cloud's grasp and knelt next to a poisoned recruit who was writhing on the ground. Cloud watched them for a moment, his knuckles white from gripping the curtain's so tightly. _They've carried out at least ten bodies..._Cloud thought, mind whirring with panic. Cloud's turned his eyes towards the doorway as two more men were carried in, groaning. The nurses and doctors ran around, overwhelmed and frusterated that there was nothing to do, that they had to sit back and watch them all suffer.

"Cloud?" Tifa's voice asked weakly from behind him.

Quickly, Cloud let the curtain drop and rushed to her side. She was curled into a ball, sweat beaded on her forehead from the effort of trying not to cry out. Hand shaking, Cloud brushed her hair off her feverish face.

"They can't give you anything Tifa...Reno, Elena, and Rude are going to bring back antidotes from Rocket Town, okay?" he said, voice breaking. "We just have to hold out till then..."

Tifa nodded, clenching her jaw in pain.

"It's not...just my stomach anymore..." she panted, squeezing her eyes shut. "It feels like it's everywhere..."

Anguish and helplessness ripped at Cloud's insides.

"I'm sorry Tifa..." he whispered, the terror in his chest not allowing him to make a louder sound. "I'm sorry this is happening to you...Just tell me...tell me what you want me to do..."

Tifa opened her eyes. Her fazed was glazed over with fever and pain.

"Cloud..." she said faintly. "Hold me...please..."

The hospital bed wasn't made for two, but Cloud squeezed next to Tifa, placing his head on the pillow next to hers. He gently pulled her shaking body to him. Tifa's feverish face was warm against his neck. Cloud stroked her back tenderly, the other hand laced through Tifa's. He could feel Tif'a's hot tears trickle down into his collarbone. Cloud determinately held back tears of his own. He pressed his lips to her forehead.

"Don't cry Tifa..." he whispered. "I love you...we'll get through this...don't cry..."

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Outside the hospital, a commotion was taking place. Desperate to see their sick friend, Barret, Reeve, and Yuffie were pleading with the nurse, but she wouldn't budge.

"What do you mean you can't let us in!" Yuffie shreiked loudly at the nurse.

Both Barret and Reeve grabbed her by the shoulder and pulled her back.

"Please..." Reeve said quietly. "We have a friend in there."

The nurse shook her head sympathetically but firmly.

"I'm sorry," she said, sounding on the verge of tears. "We don't have room for visitors."

The door slammed in their faces. They exchanged frightened glances.

"What do we do now?" Yuffie asked, looking from Reeve to Barret.

Barret sighed and slumped his shoulders. "I dunno...we can jus' sit around..."

Reeve leaned against the wall of the hospital and put a shaking hand to his forehead.

"This is _terrible_..." he said desperately. "How could we have let this happen."

"It coulda been worse..." Barret mumbled.

Reeve looked up, horrified at the thought that was occuring to him.

"Oh God..." he said shakily. "What if Vincent never overheard Kale?"

Barret shuddered.

"People woulda kept takin' potions..." he said lowly. "An' they'd keep givin' them antidotes..."

Yuffie smacked Barret on the arm.

"Stop it!" she hissed at him. "Just stop, both of you!"

"Sorry..." Barret muttered.

Reeve shook his head.

"I just meant..." he explained. "President Kale might be smarter than we thought he was..."

Barret and Yuffie looked over at Reeve, this new, disturbing thought settling in their minds uneasily.

"Maybe..." Yuffie whispered. "Maybe we're all in a lot more danger than we thought we were."


	22. Chapter Twenty Two

_"For the Angel of Death spread his wings on the blast,_

_And breathed in the face of the foe as he pass'd_

_And the eyes of the sleepers wax'd deadly and chill,_

_And their hearts but onece heaved, and for ever grew still!"_

_George Gordon Byron_

Reeve, Barret, and Yuffie all watched as five more men were carried in the hospital door and minutes later, they watched several bodies being carried out. Ten feet to the right of the hospital, a white tent had been erected and was now functioning as a morgue. They had stopped counting how many had been carried out. They wanted to avert their eyes, but they watched diligently, making sure that none of the dead were Tifa.

"I don't think I can take much more of this..." Yuffie whispered, her face pale.

Barret and Reeve nodded in agreement, both of them looking as pale and terrified as Yuffie.

"It's been about an hour..." Reeve said hoarsely. "Must be about two in the morning..."

"Wonder how long it'll take them to git back from Rocket Town..." Barret muttered.

Reeve and Yuffie didn't answer. They fell into silence again as one more body was carried out of the hospital. It was yet another young recruit. Reeve turned his eyes away as the two living recruits carrying him sobbed quietly. Yuffie was sniffling behind him. _Horrible..._Reeve thought numbly. _This is horrible..._ The ringing of his PHS stopped him from breaking down himself. Yuffie and Barret's eyes followed him as he flipped it open.

"Reeve here." he said into the phone, voice hollow.

"This is Vincent." a monotonous voice replied. "What is the situation in Cosmo Canyon."

"A lot of people have been poisoned...mostly recruits..." Reeve took in a shaky breath. "Tifa's been poisoned too...we don't know how she's holding up. Cloud's with her."

There were several seconds of silence on the other end of the phone. When Vincent spoke again, his voice had a barely dectectable, anxious edge to it.

"How many men are you down by?" he asked tensely.

"I don't know..." Reeve said quickly, brow furrowing. "At least one hundred...maybe more..."

When silence met him at the other end again, Reeve felt a twinge of fear.

"Why?" Reeve asked. "Is there something going on?"

"President Kale left. On a helicopter." Vincent said pointedly. "I spoke to another man who works here just now. He said that the SOLDIERS and over half of Kale's recruits have been gone for three days."

Reeves throat felt dry all of the sudden.

"Are you saying-" he began scratchily.

"Another attack." Vincent interrupted. "Soon."

"Soon..." Reeve said blankly. "How soon?"

Vincent hesitated before answering. "It's hard to tell. Now, perhaps. Tomorrow maybe."

Reeve pressed a hand to his forehead and leaned against the wall of the hospital.

"We'll do what we can to get ready." he told Vincent weakly.

The line went dead. Barret and Yuffie's faces peered at him anxiously. He quickly relayed the information to them. This new information seemed to age them both by ten years.

"What do we do?" Yuffie whispered shakily.

"We haveta talk to the war advisor..." Barret said lowly. "Then git what men we have, ready..."

Reeve nodded. "I'll go get the war advisor...Barret could you wake the men up? And Yuffie-"

But he was interrupted by shouting coming somewhere ahead of them. Coming down the path were two recruits, and between them, dripping blood on the path was-

"Oh God..." Yuffie whispered. "Red!"

They rushed forward to help the two men carry Red.

"What happened?" Reeve asked Red, examining the bullet wounds that peppered his side.

Red's breathing was labored, and they had to strain to hear his voice.

"They're coming..." he gasped before passing out cold.

* * *

It only took twenty minutes for total chaos to break out. Men, women, and children from the city surrounding Cosmo Canyon swarmed into the fort, and recruits ran out. The massive crowd of civilians being herded inside the fort were everywhere; in the barracks, the training area...The sound of children crying, men shouting, and women screaming filled the air. The gate area was the worse. People were coming in at an unstoppable rate as recruits tried desperately to protect the civilians outside the wall from the enemy. Gunshots and the sound of people being wounded and killed plagued everyone's ears.

Reeve, Barret, Yuffie, and the war advisor observed all this from atop the wall with growing horror and terror.

"It's no use!" the war advisor shouted. "We have to tell the recruits to close the gates and stop evacuating the civilians!"

Yuffie turned on him angrily. "No!"

"We can't just let them be killed!" Reeve shouted at him.

"They'll die out there!" Barret growled.

The war advisor gave them a pitying shake of the head.

"We can get as many as we can inside the walls...but the others are better off trying to hold out inside their homes." he said, speaking over the sounds of fighting. "If we focus too much on evacuating the civilians, we won't win this fight."

They absorbed this information, trying to squash the denial in their chests.

"Give the order..." Reeve said painfully.

The war advisor gave a curt nod and busied himself with a radio. Reeve, Yuffie, and Barret turned towards one another.

"I can't jus' sit here and do nothin'" Barret said fiercly.

Yuffie nodded her head vigorously. "Me either."

"I'll go insane if I just stand here..." Reeve agreed.

Barret adjusted his gunarm, and Yuffie gripped her shruiken.

"We can still fight better than anyone else!" Yuffie said, her old spunk showing through the fear.

"That's right!" Barret agreed strongly.

Reeve watched them, weaponless.

"Be careful out there..." he said to them. "I'll organize the civilians...keep them away from the wall...make sure a panic doesn't start."

They nodded at each other and ran off.

* * *

Inside the hospital, there was a dramatic contrast to outside. Those poisoned had fallen silent; the poison had weakened them and robbed them of consciousness. The only audible sound were the footsteps of the nurses and doctors as they went from patient to patient, and the sound of a body being carried out every now and then. The hospital staff shook their heads hopelessly, as they became more and more convinced that none of their patients would ever wake up.

Behind their curtain, Cloud still held Tifa close. He kept his fingers pressed firmly on her wrist, where the fluttering pulse were her only signs of life. His other hand weaved through her hair, brushing the silky strands off her feverish face. She had fallen asleep nearly an hour ago. Cloud could almost feel her fading away. He traced his fingers gently over the countors of her face.

"Hey Tifa..." he whispered. "Didn't I ever tell you how beautiful you are when you sleep?"

He closed his eyes breifly, imagining that she had smiled and blushed, like she always did when he told her she was beautiful.

"Remember that night under the Highwind?" he asked softly. "That was the first time I ever held you close like that...the first time I ever got to see how beautiful you look when you're asleep."

Cloud gently ran his fingers over her closed eyelids.

"What was it you said to me?" Cloud whispered.

He laughed quietly into her hair.

"'Cloud, feelings aren't the only thing that tell someone what you're thinking.'" he quoted.

Cloud burried his face into her hair, hiding his tears even though there was no one there to see.

"You don't know how much those words terrified me." he said hoarsely. "You always knew how to put me on the spot..."

Cloud stopped for a moment, feeling the fluttering pulse in her wrist, and placing his hands on her side so he could feel the weak rise and fall of her chest.

"Sometimes I think I'm more afraid of you than I ever was of Sephiroth..." he said, squeezing his eyes shut. "I'd face a thousand Sephiroth's rather than lose you..."

Unable to keep his hand steady enough on her wrist to check her pulse, Cloud used both arms to her close. He cradled her head to his chest, and unable to hold back any longer, began sobbing into her hair.

"I said the ether probably wasn't working because you were worried for Marlene..." he cried, tears trickling onto her still face. "I should have known there was a reason it wasn't working...why didn't I check the ethers?"

He tried to stop the tears, his breath ragged, but he failed miserably.

"We could have done something sooner..." he sobbed. "Tifa...please don't die...what would I do without you? You're killing me Tifa...I love you so much...don't leave me..."

He clenched his left fist, and felt the metallic bulge of his wedding ring against his other fingers. His dry sobs wracked his body. Outside, an explosion caused part of the wall to crumble down. Inside, Cloud's entire world was crumbling.


	23. Chapter Twenty Three

_"Beware how you take away hope from another human being."_

_Oliver Wendell Holmes_

Everyone shielded their eyes from the fiery explosion on the north side of the wall. For a second, the fighting stopped as the loud blast of sound caused everyone to turn towards the wall. Then there were triumphant shouts from half the fighters, and shouts of fear and despair from the others; a good ten feet of the wall was now nothing but rubble. Thousands of recruits from both sides rushed towards the collasped wall, some intent on defending it, others planning to go straight through.

Recruits lined the fallen portion of the wall, fighting desperately to keep the enemy out of the fort. Amongst them were a dark-skinned burly man and a petite, pale girl, both fighting valiantly and a touch more skillfully than the rest. Yuffie jumped from fallen rock to fallen rock, her small size and agility proving useful. She used her shruikein to cut down a man trying to climb over the rocks into the now vunerable fort. Behind her, Barret stood on a large pile of rubble, firing rounds skillfully into the chaos.

"Ya doin' awright Yuffie?" he shouted over the sounds of intense fighting.

"Yup!" Yuffie called, ducking nimbly behind a rock. "Piece of cake!"

The fighting continued on. Those protecting the fort were fighting vigorously, fierce determinism showing on their faces. But even so, the battle was slowly progressing backwards, and into the fort. Again and again, they tried to push forward, but the other side was relentless. Yuffie downed another man with a powerful cut of her shrukein. She grimaced and wiped her own, sticky blood out her eyes. She ducked behind a rock for a minute and looked out on the fighting. _We're losing..._she thought despairingly. But she gripped her weapons and fierce pride showed in her gray eyes. _They won't take down the great Yuffie that easily!_ she thought cockily, before leaping up on the rock and jumping back into the fight.

Barret seemed to realize the situation they were in too. _Marlene..._he thought angrily, shooting several more rounds. _If they git through..._He shook his head, and took three men down. _Not happenin'...not as long as I'm still in the running..._He guffawed loudly as he saw Yuffie give a battle cry and jump off a rock and onto an approaching enemy.

"Tha's the spirit!" he shouted at her, firing with renewed vigor. "Takes more than that to beat us!"

* * *

Inside the broken wall, Reeve was having troubles of his own.

"Don't panic!" he shouted into the crowd of civilians. "Everyone has to stay calm! We're doing all we can to protect you!"

The crowd was still filled with frightened cries, as they looked at the large broken portion of the wall and the approaching battle. Reeve felt himself squashing panic of his own. He looked out on the crowd, speaking loudly and clearly.

"I'm going to organize you all into the barracks." he told the crowd. "I want you to use the beds inside to barricade the doors. But don't move until I say so! This will all go much quicker if we cooperate with one another."

A hush fell over the civilians. Feeling a rush of relief, Reeve gave quiet orders to the small group of recruits with him and they began herding the civilians into shelters. The job was surprisingly efficient; in no time at all, all the frighten civilians were barricaded into the barracks.

"What now?" Reeve muttered to himself, looking over the fort. "The hospital..."

He ran towards the vunerable building, keeping one eye on the battle at the north end of the wall. When he reached the large double doors, he shoved them open, not bothering to ask permission for entrance. A nurse looked up as he opened the door, looking scandalized.

"Sir!" she said. "You can't come in here! The hospital is for patients only! We don't have room for anyone else right now..."

Reeve let the doors swing shut behind him and didn't respond. At his feet were over fifty poisoned young men squeezed into the waiting room...pale and unmoving. He felt his heart catch in his throat.

"Are they..." he said hoarsely. "Are they still alive?"

The nurse looked away painfully.

"They're still barely hanging on." she said quietly. "They all fell still about an hour ago."

Reeve didn't respond. The nurse seemed to regain her senses.

"But you can't be in here sir." she said firmly. "I'm afraid I have to ask you to leave."

He shook his head.

"There's a battle going on outside." he told her.

She paled slightly but nodded.

"We know." she said. "It's so quiet in here now...we could hear the fighting."

Reeve shook his head.

"You don't understand." he told her lowly. "Part of the wall has collasped. I don't know how long the recruits can keep them out. We have to barricade the hospital, in case the enemy breaks through."

The nurse nodded.

"We have bed frames we can use." she said shakily. "We'll have to lift the matresses and patients off them first."

"That will work." Reeve said, but paused as a thought occurred to him. "Is Red doing okay?"

She sighed. "His wounds don't seem to be life threatening but...I don't know how long he can hold out without a potion."

Reeve nodded somberly. He hesitated for a moment before asking his next question.

"Are Cloud and Tifa in here?" he asked, a bit fearfully.

The nurse looked confused for a second, but slowly recognition came to her face.

"Mr. and Mrs. Strife?" she asked. "They're in the third cubicle to the left."

Her face was filled with sadness. Reeve thanked her quietly and turned away, walking into the other room. Hesitantly, he pulled the curtain away from the said cubicle. He stood back from the bed for a moment, pain clenching at his heart. It looked as though both and Cloud and Tifa were poisoned, curled around each other on the small hosptial bed, not moving. Reeve took a step forward.

"Cloud." he whispered.

At first, Reeve thought perhaps Cloud was still asleep, but his noticed his hand moving. It moved down to Tifa's wrist, pressed two fingers to it for a moment and then let the hand fall limply down. Only then did he open his eyes.

"Reeve." Cloud said raspily.

Reeve tried not to notice Cloud's red-rimmed eyes.

"Is she-" he began quietly, motioning to Tifa.

Cloud cut him off, looking away to hide the pain in his face.

"She's still holding on..." he whispered. "But the doctors don't know if she's...if she's..."

He broke off, voice breaking. Reeve lowered his eyes and clenched his jaw, trying to hold back tears of his own.

"If she's going to make it." Cloud finished, voice trembling.

_This isn't fair..._Reeve thought with anguish as Cloud ducked his head onto Tifa's hair. He could remember that sunny morning at Cosmo Canyon, when Cloud and Tifa came walking through the gate together hand in hand...how they had met everyone's accusing yet amused stares blushing deeply...Everyone was so happy for them when they announced their news. And their wedding day...Cloud had been so nervous and excited he could barely tie his shoes. Reeve swallowed hard, trying not to break down in front of Cloud.

"Cloud..." he said lowly. "There's a fight going on outside."

Cloud's head popped up. Reeve could tell by the look on his face that he was unware of this. Cloud just shook his head, cradling Tifa's seemingly lifeless head against him.

"I have to stay here with Tifa." he told Reeve. "I can't leave her here alone...I want to be here when the antidotes come...I want to be here when she wakes up again."

The hope in Cloud's eyes was almost as painful to see as the tears.

"Okay Cloud." Reeve said gently. "You stay here, we'll take care of the rest."

Cloud nodded.

"Oh, and one more thing Cloud." Reeve said, remembering at the last minute."Part of the wall crumbled...we need to barricade the hospital. I need the bed frame."

Cloud gave another breif nod. He bent over Tifa's head and whispered something in her ear. Reeve turned away. Whatever Cloud was saying, it wasn't meant for him to hear. When Reeve looked back to them, Cloud had Tifa lifted off the bed, holding her frail body as if one disturbance would shatter it. Reeve quickly removed the matress and replaced it on the floor. Cloud laid Tifa back on the bed, rearranging the covers around her before laying next to her. Reeve gave them a long last look before leaving the curtained off area with the bed frame. Only then did he allow a few tears to trail down his face.

* * *

By the broken wall, the fight was taking a turn for the worse. Bodies lied haphazardly in the rubble, and the ones still alive stumbled over them, too caught up in the fight to avoid the fallen. Barret scowled fiercly as a few of the enemy broke through the recruits protecting the fort and began running inside. He turned around to shoot at them and smiled with grim triumph as they fell to the dusty ground.

"Three down...thousand more to go..." he muttered bitterly.

_We're losing..._he thought remorsefully as he was forced to take another step backwards. He whipped his head left and right looking for his much smaller comrade. He spotted her several feet to his left, her dark bob of hair and bony shoulders a blur amongst all the others fighting. She caught his eye for a moment, a ghost of her spunky smile appearing on her bloodied and sweat-covered face. _She knows what I know..._he thought dishearteningly as she turned away from him to ward off another attack. All around them, recruits were pulling back.

"Don't give up!" Yuffie shouted, young voice barely audible over the shouts of pain and anger. "C'mon! Push forward!"

Barret began shouting also, his deep booming voice adding to Yuffie's peppy one.

"Hold your ground!" he shouted. "It's over if they get into the fort!"

But fear and exhaustion were more convincing than Barret and Yuffie's words of encouragement. The recruits were retreating. They ran with blind desperation, not taking care or notice of those they knocked down and trampled. Barret watched in horror as Yuffie was knocked down and disappeared under the desperate feet of those running back into the fort. Using his burly form as an advantage, he pushed through the panicking recruits and advancing enemy. He grabbed Yuffie's limp, battered form and threw it over one broad shoulder. _Is this the end?_ he wondered. Several men bumped into him roughly, nearly causing Yuffie to fall off his shoulder. _Marlene..._he thought desperately.

Just when it seemed as though all hope was gone, and Barret was ready to admit defeat, a loud sound came from overhead. The panic-induced retreat stopped for a minute as everyone looked to the sky to find the source of the noises. But Barret didn't need to look to the sky; he'd recognize that sound anywhere.

"Cid..." he muttered, nearly dropping to his knees with relief and exhaustion.


	24. Chapter Twenty Four

_"War does not determine who is right, only who is left."_

_Bertrand Russell_

For a moment, down on the ground, there was stillness as everyone looked skyward. But as the fighter planes and airships moved in, there were shouts of relief and triumph from half the fighters and fearful shouts from the other half. The bullets began whizzing down from the sky, and the tables turned. The recruits from Cosmo Canyon pressed forward, their spirits lifted by the sight of their airforce. But the presidents army began backing out.

"Retreat!" they yelled. "Retreat!"

Reno watched this from the cockpit of a fighter plane. He cracked a grin a took a sharp turn, showering bullets down.

"Whoa!" he said, letting the wheel straighten out as the plane shuddered violently.

Almost instantly, the radio in his ear crackled and a grizzled voice came through.

"The hell are you doin'!" Cid's voice shouted in his ear. "I thought you said you could fly dumbass!"

Reno winced and turned the volume down on the radio.

"Chill, old man!" he grumbled into his mouth piece. "I know what I'm doing!"

The only response he received from was a contemptuous snort, but a shrill feminine voice came through on the earpiece.

"He's right Reno!" Elena scolded. "You shouldn't mess around."

Reno's mouth hung open incredulously.

"Elena! You're supposed to be on my side!" he said sulkily.

"I am on your side!" Elena said hotly. "Which is exactly why I don't want you doing stupid things that will get you killed! Reno you can be such a-"

"Stop." Rude's voice commanded. "We should focus on landing and getting the antidotes to the hospital."

In their seperate planes, Reno and Elena both glared at their radios.

"About time someone makes some goddamn sense..." Cid's voice grumbled.

No one responded. There was a somber silence across the radios as everyone refocused on the serious situation they were in. It had been about five hours since the Turks had left Cosmo Canyon. They hadn't had any contact since then, and didn't know whether or not everyone was okay, or even alive. All they knew was what Vincent had told them when he called; Cosmo Canyon was under attack.

"Who's going to land first?" Reno said lowly into his mouth piece.

A moment's pause.

"You first Reno." Cid said gruffly. "Then Elena, then Rude. I'll go last."

_Is that the first time Cid's said something to me without cursing? _Reno wondered, carefully lowering his plane. The plane landed on the ground with a gentle thump, and a cloud of dust rose around it before settling back down. Reno grabbed the crate of antidotes, potions, and ethers that had been squeezed in behind his seat and stepped out. Dust from the other's planes settled on his clothing as they landed beside him. Rude, Elena, and Cid all got out of their planes.

It was eerily quiet around the hospital, besides the sound of fighting. Reno turned around to motion the others forward, but their eyes were locked on something behind him. Feeling cold dread in his stomach, he turned around. At first he was confused why the others would be so horrified by the large white tent, but as the moon peaked out behind the clouds, the light went straight through the tents and casted shadows on the white cloth walls. _Bodies..._Reno thought numbly. _That tent is filled with bodies..._

"Let's go." Rude said turning away.

They tore their eyes away. _This is bad..._Reno thought, beginning to sweat. _This is really freaking bad..._He looked over at the others. Elena was pale and shaking. Rude looked composed as ever, but you'd have to know him really well to see the tension in his face. Cid on the other hand-

"Open the goddamn door!" he shouted at the door, kicking it roughly.

The doors stayed closed.

"Who is it?" a timid voice asked on the other end.

"It's the goddamn antidotes." Cid growled, looking in deperate need of a cigarette. "That's who the hell it is."

There was a squeaky gasp at the other end, and a loud grating noise as though something large was being dragged away from the door. The door swung open and a nurse with dark cirlces under her eyes stood in the doorway.

"Thank God..." she said, almost crying as she took Elena's crate away from her. "Thank you so much..."

The other nurses and doctors swarmed towards the door, taking the crates away from them and beginning to fill syringes with the translucent liquid inside the antidote bottles. They all looked on the verge of tears, but they jumped into action immediately, injecting the immobile bodies on the ground with the antidotes. Nearly half of the bodies were covered with white sheets. They skipped those.

Reno and Rude both placed comforting hands on Elena's shoulders as she hastily wiped away a tear. Cid cursed and turned away.

"Come on..." Cid said gruffly. "We're no help around here...the battles over...let's go see how much damage has been done."

* * *

The sounds of movement and excited talking around the hospital awoke Cloud from his light doze. He had fallen asleep with his ear pressed up against Tifa's heart; every other pulse in her body was now too weak to detect.

"Do you hear that Tifa?" he whispered, sitting up. "Something's going on outside..."

A flurry of excitement exploded in his stomach. He perked his head up, listening raptly.

"Tifa!" he said joyfully, kissing her hair. "Antidotes Tifa! I think they're here!"

He stroked her hair back and looked at her for a minute. Tifa's face was pale, drained completely of the light pink on her cheeks, her lips were turned down, no trace of the smile that usually graced her face...but she was holding on still. _She's going to wake up soon..._Cloud thought, pressing his lips against her feverish skin. _And I can tell her I love her and maybe if she's not too tired, she'll smile and then we can get out of this hospital...and go to sleep in our own bed...and all of this will just be like a nightmare..._

"Mr. Strife?" a voice said from the other side of the curtain.

"What did I tell you Tifa?" he whispered into her ear. "Here's the nurse...everything will be okay now."

The nurse pushed the curtain aside. She held a syringe in her hands.

"The antidotes came." she said, looking years younger than she had the last time Cloud saw her, hours ago when all hope seemed lost.

Cloud hopped up from the bed, boyish excitement taking place of the anguish that had plagued it for so many hours. He watched as the nurse carefully injected the antidote into a vein in Tifa wrist. Cloud hovered over Tifa's face, waiting for signs of life.

"She's not waking up..." he said, turning towards the nurse, crestfallen.

The nurse patted his arm gently.

"Give her time, Mr. Strife." she told him. "A least a half-hour."

Cloud looked up at the clock. It was four-fifteen in the morning.

"Four fourty-five." Cloud said, turning to the nurse for confirmation. "Tifa's waking up at four fourty-five."

_I said at _least _a half hour..._the nurse thought, exasperated. But she couldn't bring herself to dampen Cloud's spirits as he cracked his first grin in hours.

"Mrs. Strife will wake up around four fourty-five." she said softly, stepping outside the curtains.

Cloud laid back with down with Tifa, pulling her limp form close again, making sure he could see her face. He kept his eyes fixed on her face, waiting for her eyes to flutter open.

* * *

Reeve, Barret, Yuffie, Reno, Rude, Elena, and Cid all stood together on top of an unbroken portion of the wall and looked down at the destruction below. No one made a sound. Yuffie, who had been revived from her injuries, gripped the edge of the wall and peered over. The others hung back slightly, shaking their heads. The amount of damage was unbelievable.

"It will take at least two months to repair the wall." Reeve said, breaking the silence.

Yuffie turned on him, seething.

"The wall?" she hissed. "You're thinking about the _wall_?"

Reeve hung his head. _I wish it were the wall that I were thinking about_...he thought, fighting the urge to tear the rest of the wall down out of despair. Instead, he patted Yuffie's back as she burst into tears.

It didn't sound like the battle was over. The sound of bullets being fired and weapons clashing was gone, but the fort was far from quiet. Recruits howled in anguish, lifting the dead bodies of their comrades and friends off the ground. Reeve forced himself to watch. _How many mothers and fathers lost their child today? _he wondered. _How many people lost friends, brothers, husbands?_ He hid his face in his hand.

The group shuddered as a cold wind blew through the fort. The Turks stood close together, looking at the horror that had occurred in their absense. Even though she would never normally allow it, she let both Reno and Rude put arms around her shoulders. _At least they aren't telling me not to be weak..._she thought. An instant later, she hated herself for that bitter thought, and burst into a fresh round of tears.

"Coulda been us jus' as easily as them." Barret said hollowly.

The others looked up, the break in silence shocking them for a minute.

"Marlene coulda been a orphan right now..." Barret said

_Shera..._Cid thought sadly, watching as bodies were carried off the battle field. _I wonder how many of them had some silly woman waiting for them...some silly woman they loved to death._

Yuffies tear-stained face popped up, startling Reeve and everyone around her.

"Tifa!" she said, her tears stopping. "Come on guys, we gotta go see her and Cloud!"

She sprung up and began descending the wall, the others close behind her. Reeve hung back for a minute, giving the desolation one last look-over. _I wonder..._he thought as he climbed down. _Are we finally beginning to understand the true meaning of war? _


	25. Chapter Twenty Five

_And, oh, how blessed is it thus to meet! To feel that vanished years have not estranged us, distance has not diminished love, that we are to each other even as we parted; to feel again the fond kiss, to hear once more the accents of a voice which to us has been for years so still,--a voice that brings with it the gush of memory!_

_Grace Aguilar_

Cloud's eyes flicked to the clock on the wall. _Four forty-six..._he thought turning back to look at Tifa. She was immobile in his arms. _Come on Tifa..._he thought anxiously. The sounds of the others who were poisoned penetrated the curtain as they woke up. Cloud tried not to take another peek at the clock. His only reasurrance was that he could now feel Tifa's soft exhalation against his skin.

"Has she woken up yet?" a calm, serious voice startled him.

Red padded softly into the room, dried blood on his fur. It appeared, however, as though all his wounds were completely healed.

"Red!" Cloud said, whipping his head around. "What happened to you?"

Red sighed.

"I came across Kale's army on my way home." he said somberly. "I'm fine now though."

He placed his front paws on the end of the bed and peered at Tifa.

"She hasn't woken up yet..." Cloud told him quietly, answering Red's earlier question.

Red nudged Tifa's hand sadly.

"She'll wake up soon, Cloud." Red told him. "You just have to give her time."

Cloud nodded, unable to form a response. He looked down at Tifa's face again, desperate for any sign of wakefulness. Slowly, he brushed his fingers across her cheek.

"I'll leave you two alone then," Red said softly. "I better go talk to the others...the doctors won't let them in, and they're going insane."

Red went quietly through the curtain.

"Did you hear that Tifa?" Cloud whispered into her hair. "Everyone's waiting for you..."

He began tracing up and down her back.

"But no pressure, right?" he murmured, kissing her temple. "I'll wait as long as you need me to."

Tifa was still unresponsive. Cloud sighed and pressed his forehead to hers. Tifa's breath was steady and deep, as though she was merely sleeping. The color had returned to her cheeks, and she looked the same as she did every morning at home in their own bed. _It always takes her forever to wake up in the morning..._Cloud thought. _Maybe she just needs some convincing, like always. _Cloud sat up in bed and looked down at the sleeping Tifa.

"Tifa..." he breathed into her ear. "It's time to wake up now..."

No response.

"Tifa...we have donuts..."

Nothing. Determined, Cloud bent closer.

"Tifa..." he whispered, lips brushing her ear. "If you wake up now, we can make it to our cliff before sunrise..."

Tifa's lips twitched slightly. A huge grin split Clouds face and he gently kissed her.

"I know you're awake Tifa..." he told her. "Don't make me use my secret weapon to get you up..."

Tifa rolled over, burrying her head into his chest.

"Don' t tickle me Cloud..." she mumbled, her words slurring slightly.

Cloud laughed out loud, and in one swift motion, lifted her into his arms, squeezing her tight.

"Tifa!" he said, laughing joyously. "You're awake!"

He loosed his grip slightly, so he could see her face. Tifa's eyes opened slightly, and as Cloud caught a glimpse of her brown irises, he was convinced he had never seen anything more beautiful. Grinning like a fool, he cupped her head in his hands, and began kissing her face, her cheeks, her forehead, her nose, all over. He thought he would burst with happiness when he heard Tifa giggle in that sleepy way she did.

"Mmm...Cloud..." she murmured, gently putting her fingertips on his lips. "I'm awake..."

Her eyes lost their sleepy glaze and she looked up in shock when she saw the tears in his eyes. She gently reached up to wipe them away, looking confused and concerned.

"Cloud? What's wrong?" she asked, hand lingering on his cheeks.

"Tifa..." he cried, clutching her close.

Tifa's arms wrapped comfortingly around his back.

"Cloud what-" she began, but stopped as her eyes focused on her surroundings. "The hospital?"

Cloud pulled back, just so he could see her face, alive and moving.

"Don't you remember?" he whispered, threading his hand through hers.

Her forehead furrowed in concentration. Slowly, realization dawned on her face.

"Poison?" she asked him, tilting her head.

Cloud nodded and stroked Tifa's hair back.

"How do you feel?" he asked her softly.

"Okay..." she answered. "A little weak...a little achey...but okay."

Cloud pulled Tifa to him again, heart jumping as her arms slipped around his neck. He bent down and kissed her softly, relishing the feeling of her soft lips moving against his.

"Tifa..." he breathed, ducking his head into her hair. "I thought you were going to leave me..."

Tifa gave him a sweet, lingering kiss.

"I could never leave you..." she whispered against his mouth.

He smiled, and leaned forward, kissing her just as he'd be longing to do for the past several hours, hands running over Tifa's soft curves. Just when they had fallen backwards onto the bed, the curtain swung open. The nurse stared at them, jaw hanging open. Cloud hastily removed his hand from where it was creeping up Tifa's pajama top.

"This is a _hospital_!" she shouted, scandalized.

She hit Cloud across the head with a rolled up magazine. Tifa laughed as Cloud rolled off her, cowering.

"Your wife needs rest!" the nurse seethed, hitting him again. "Go sit in the chair over there!"

"Yes m'am..." Cloud said meekly.

Tifa laughed again as Cloud rubbed his head, pouting. Cloud couldn't help but smile to see Tifa up and awake; leaning against the wall but sitting up in bed, laughing. As the nurse gave Tifa another antidote and checked her vitals, they couldn't keep their eyes off one another. The nurse sighed helplessly.

"You're good to go." she told Tifa. "I want you to take an antidote tomorrow morning and tomorrow evening, then check in the day after."

The nurse handed the antidotes to Cloud.

"And tonight..." the nurse said, glaring at Cloud, causing him to cower again. "I want you to _rest_ Mrs. Strife. Do you understand me? _Rest_!"

* * *

There was a collective shout as Cloud and Tifa exited the hospital. They were a sight for sore eyes; both of them radiating happiness, Cloud gently supporting Tifa around the waist. Everyone who rushed forward to hug Tifa was forced to hug Cloud too, since he refused to let go of Tifa. They all gathered around, all talking and laughing at once, glad they had a reason to be happy. Marlene, who Barret had retrieved from Elmyra's house, clung tightly to Tifa's legs, chattering non-stop through everyone else's conversations. 

Suddenly, through the rejoicing, Cloud seemed to remember something.

"The battle!" he said loudly. "What happened?"

Yuffie, Barret, Reeve, Cid, Red and the Turks grew silent and exchanged solemn looks. Marlene stopped chattering too, when she realized she was the only one still talking.

"Battle?" Tifa asked, looking from person to person.

Yuffie hung her head.

"It was bad..." she whispered.

The others looked at the ground.

"How bad?" Cloud asked quietly.

No one said anything. Finally, it was Reeve who spoke up.

"Not tonight..." he said quietly. "You two have been through enough...we'll save it for tomorrow."

* * *

Cloud sighed with relief as they entered their dark, cool bedroom. The contrast to the brightly lit, incredibly sterile hospital was a comfort. Their bed, with the pile of warm blankets and pillows had never looked better. The covers were in a state of disaray from them rushing to the hospital. It happened only hours ago, but the terror and grief seemed like ages ago. Cloud could hardly believe, as he helped Tifa into the room, that they had rushed out of this very room earlier that night, and he spent the rest of the night in the hospital, watching Tifa fade away. 

"What are you thinking?" Tifa asked him, looking up at his troubled face.

Cloud pressed his lips to her hair.

"How I almost lost you..." he answered, so quietly that Tifa could barely hear him.

They stood in the doorway, holding on to each other close.

"I love you Tifa..." Cloud told her softly.

"I love you too, Cloud..." she replied, voice hushed.

Neither of them moved away. The pain and fear of the past night slowly slipped away as they held each other. Cloud closed his eyes, feeling Tifa's warm, alive arms around his back, squeezing him just as tightly as he was squeezing her. He barely had his eyes closed a second, when he felt himself falling asleep. They both pulled back sleepily. Cloud was just realizing how exhausted he was. The sun was beginning to peek over the horizon; he had been up all night.

"Let's go to sleep..." Tifa said tiredly.

Cloud nodded as a huge yawn cracked his jaw.

They collasped in bed, barely managing to throw the covers over themselves before they fell asleep, curled around each other tightly.


	26. Chapter Twenty Six

_"Reasonable people adapt themselves to the world. Unreasonable people attempt to adapt the world to themselves. All progress, thererfore, depends on unreasonable people."_

_George Bernard Shaw_

_Three months later..._

Ever since the last battle, things had been quiet. No one was particularly eager for the next battle. It had taken nearly two months to repair the damages done to the fort. The wall was back up; stronger and bigger than before. But there were some damages that couldn't be repaired as easily as the wall. The death count, as they had suspected, was devastating. The combined deaths from the poison and battle combined, left them short in numbers and low in spirirts. Nearly everyone had lost someone. It seemed unlikely that they would be ready for another battle anytime soon.

But a call from Vincent soothed their worries slightly; he confided that they weren't the only side that suffered major losses. Kale's army was still recuperating too. After failing to seige Cosmo Canyon twice, they were at a loss of what to do. According to Vincent, Kale and the other SOLDIERS became more and more unhinged by the day. They weren't sure whether this was good news or bad news. On one hand, if the SOLDIERS lost their minds completely, they wouldn't exactly be formidible enemies. On the other hand... their insanity could cause them to completely lose their sense of reality and put everyone on the planet in danger, just as Sephiroth had.

So the past few months hadn't only been spent in reconstruction and recovery, AVALANCHE had been planning too. Which is why they found themselves in a conference room an hour before sunrise, sipping coffee and trying to suppress yawns. The meeting hadn't started yet, and so, as always, Yuffie, Reno, and Barret passed the time by muttering darkly about those who weren't present at the early meeting, as the others watched with tired amusement.

"Red's such a dirty little-" Yuffie grumbled, dumping sugar into her coffee.

Reno nodded fervently, looking equally as grumpy.

"Out looking for recruits and refugees? Bull shit..."

The three made mean comments under their breath, until they ran out of insults and fell silent. Cloud, Tifa, Reeve, Rude, and Elena shook their heads, exasperated.

"Cid..." Barret growled visciously. "Such a bum...Bet he _never_ gits up this early..."

Yuffie glowered into her mug.

"We all know why he really wants to live in Rocket Town." she said sulkily.

They exchanged dark looks.

"Dirty old man..." Reno added for good measure.

Barret nodded vigorously.

"An' don't even git me started on Vincent..."

Yuffie and Reno growled grumpily.

"How long did he sleep in that damn coffin?" Reno seethed. "I'm pretty sure it was years..."

"_Years_..." Yuffie emphasized with a scowl.

Again, the room fell silent. After having these early morning meetings for three weeks, Yuffie, Reno, and Barret were beginning to run out of mean things to say. Instead, they settled with glowering at anything that met their eyes. Their bad moods always wore off by noon. The others secretly warned Cid, Red, and Vincentnot to communicate with Yuffie, Reno, or Barret before then.

A contented snuffling sound caused the three to stop glowering, and search around their companions to figure out who dared to make such a happy sound so early. Their eyes stopped on Tifa; she had fallen asleep on Cloud's shoulder. They immediately began glowering again, this time aimed at Tifa.

"Tifa's such a-" Reno began, scowling fiercly.

He stopped when Cloud frowned angrily at him. Elena, looking disheveled without her usual coat of mascara, backhanded Reno on the back of his head.

"Reno, don't be such an ass!" she snapped grumpily.

Reno cringed away. Yuffie and Barret immediately focused their glowering gazes on something other than Tifa. The others sighed simultaniously. It was going to be another long morning. They exchanged glum looks as someone entered the room.

"All right then..." the war advisor said, sounding alert and awake. "Shall we get started?"

They all straightened in thier chairs, trying to look as though they weren't nearly as tired as grumpy as they were. Cloud gave Tifa a quick shake and she jolted to attention.

"So to continue off where we stopped yesterday..." the war advisor continued. "Have we come to a decision?"

The group nodded seriously.

"We've decided that we aren't going to plan another battle..." Cloud said solemnly.

The war advisor motioned for Cloud to continue.

"We think it's in the best interest of everyone..." he said slowly. "To take the source out directly."

"You mean, President Kale and the other SOLDIERS?" the war advisor asked, leaning in slightly.

Cloud and the others nodded.

"It's the only way this is ever going to end..." Cloud stated quietly, holding Tifa's hand under the table.

The war advisor nodded curtly and sat down.

"Let's get planning then..."

* * *

Two hours later, everyone was filing out of the conference room, heads buzzing with all the planning. The sun was now beginning to blare full force over the rocky cliffs of Cosmo Canyon. Everyone mumbled See you later's and set off to begin their day. The Turks walked silently away, glumly anticipating yet another trip to Rocket Town planned for tomorrow. Barret set off to wake Marlene up, Reeve was muttering under his breath about the wall, and Yuffie was already listening grumpily to her father over a PHS. Cloud and Tifa hung back around the conference room door.

"Feeling alright?" Cloud asked Tifa, gently taking her hand.

Tifa reached up to kiss his cheek.

"I'm fine Cloud...really." she told him with a smile.

Cloud returned her smile hesitantly, and they headed away from the conference room hand in hand. Cloud frowned slightly when Tifa wasn't looking. Tifa had recovered quickly with the help of antidotes, but Cloud found himself worrying about her more than he could admit. But Tifa was cheerfully adamant, and refused to let Cloud worry about her. Cloud sighed slightly and sped up to match Tifa's stubbornly quick pace.

"So, what are we doing today?" she asked him, chin on his shoulder.

Cloud grinned and kissed her lips gently.

"Dunno..." he replied. "What do you want to do?"

The others had thought Cloud and Tifa were inseperable before, but now they really were. It was becoming impossible to find a single moment in which they weren't together.

"What do I want to do?" Tifa said with a coy smile. "I want to go back to bed...or maybe we could sneak off to our cliff."

Cloud laughed, but then looked around to check if anyone could hear them.

"Think we could get away with it?" he asked lowly.

Tifa laughed too and gave him a gentle push.

"Cloud!" she exclaimed. "I was only joking."

But she too looked around, narrow eyed.

"If we run now, no one will even notice we're gone..." she whispered.

They smiled at each other and ran off.

* * *

Dinner was always a much more pleasant affair than the early morning meetings. Conversation usually stayed pretty light-hearted; war talk was unavoidable, but they always avoided the more depressing topics. The men always got slightly drunk; talking loudly and playing cards. Tifa, Elena, and Yuffie usually watched them, rolling their eyes at one another. Marlene always sat close to them, clinging to Tifa and feeling priveleged to be hanging around the "big girls".

By the end of the night, Marlene was always asleep on Tifa's lap, and the guys would still be drinking and playing cards. Eventually, Elena and Yuffie would join the card games, once the guys were all too drunk to notice that Elena and Yuffie were winning all their money. The only guy that didn't cheated out of his money was Cloud, because Tifa would drag him away from the game, much to the amusement of the others.

However, at the moment, it was still early in the night, and everyone was awake-and sober- eating cheerfully around the table. They all chatted through the meal, mainly about things that had happened in the past year.

"I can't believe we're already on our second wall..." Reeve said through a mouthful of steak.

A little smirk appeared on Reno's face and everyone turned towards him, half-amused half-exasperated; they knew that look on his face too well- he was about to crack some sort of joke.

"We should have known that wall couldn't keep the enemy out..." Reno said, a devious little grin appearing on his face. "After all...it couldn't even keep Cloud and Tifa in!"

There was a loud burst of laughter around the table.

"Neither could this wall..." Cloud whispered into Tifa's ear.

Cloud and Tifa began laughing too, to the confusion of the others. But they just shrugged and continued with their meals. They fell into one of those comfortable silences that never lasted long- as long as Reno was around anyways. After barely a minute of silence, another smirk was already creeping up on his face.

"So Marlene..." he said in a falsely innocent voice. "Those are some pretty cool glasses you've got there."

Everyone turned towards the little girl, and focused on the newest addition to her wardrobe. Even though the sun had set long ago, she was sporting a pair of dark sunglasses that covered half her face. Under his own glasses, Rude glared at Reno. Everyone choked back laughter.

"Thanks Reno!" Marlene said happily. "They're just like _Rude's _aren't they?"

Reno looked over the pink plastic frames and nodded solemnly.

"_Exactly_ like Rude's." he told her.

Marlene gave him a huge grin and returned to her dinner. There was a collective chuckle and Rude fell into a some-what sulky silence.

"Now, now Rude..." Elena said, patting his arm and holding back a smile. "Hasn't anyone ever told you that imitation is the highest form of flattery?"

Rude crossed his arms grouchily.

"Thought I told you not to wear those things inside..." Barret mumbled half-heartedly under his breath to Marlene.

She ignored him cheerfully. Barret gave Tifa a slightly pleading look, but Tifa just shook her head. She knew better than to try and take Marlene's sunglasses away.

They finished thier meals with light-hearted talking, every now and them shooting an amused look at the sulky Rude and the Marlene, who was smiling adoringly at him. They all sat back when they were done eating, patting their stomachs in an extremely satisfied way. Reno, Rude, Barret, and Reeve had already ordered drinks. Yuffie, with Marlene tightly clutching her hand, had already migrated over to Elena's side of the table. Tifa was up in the bathroom, but she returned quickly and wrapped her arms around Cloud from behind. He turned his head slightly to give her a lingering kiss. Tifa smiled and settled down on his lap, nestling her head sleepily into his shoulder.

"Wanna go to bed early tonight?" she asked him, yawning.

Cloud looped his arms around her waist and laughed.

"Tifa...we slept in all day!" he said, chuckling softly. "Almost all day anyways..."

Tifa giggled but kept her head down on his shoulder. Cloud felt his amusement fade as he noticed that she was falling asleep already. He stroked her bangs back as an escuse to feel her forehead. _No fever..._he thought, relieved.

"Alright Tifa..." he said, unable to keep the anxiety out of his voice. "Let's go to bed..."

Tifa seemed to notice his concern, and lifted her head up.

"Actually Cloud, I'm not that tired..." she told him, standing up. "We don't have to go to bed yet."

Cloud stood up quickly, taking her hand.

"No Tifa, it's okay. I'm kind of tired too...I think we should turn in early." he told her, forcing the worry out of his voice.

Tifa gave him a hesistant smile and took his hand.

"You know Cloud..." she told him as they left the inn. "You don't have to worry so much...I'm better now, the doctor said so."

He slipped his arms around her shoulder and squeezed gently.

"I know Tifa..." he said softly.

But deep inside, he couldn't shake the doubt. _Am I just being paranoid?_ he wondered as they entered their home. He watched Tifa long after she fell asleep. Cloud slowly ran his fingers over her peaceful face. _I think that night will haunt me forever..._he thought forlornly, before drifting off into an uneasy sleep.


	27. Chapter Twenty Seven

_"None of us knows what the next change is going to be, what unexpected opportunity is just around the corner, waiting a few months or a few years to change our lives."_

_Kathleen Norris_

Cloud was awoken the next morning by a cold body sliding back into bed. Sleepily, he opened one eye and saw Tifa's dark head laying back down onto her pillow. Still half-asleep, he reached over and pulled her close, the contact of her chilled skin waking him up a little more. He snuggled them both down under the warm covers.

"What were you outta bed for?" he mumbled into her haired, voiced slurred from sleep.

"Bathroom." she replied.

She shivered a tiny bit and ducked her cold face into the bare skin of his chest. Tifa was beginning to think she'd never get used to the cold mornings of Cosmo Canyon. She could hear a sigh rattle through Cloud's chest.

"Is it time to get up yet?" he asked her tiredly. "I forget what time the meeting's at..."

Tifa shook her head.

"We still have a hour..." she whispered.

_That's right..._Cloud thought, closing his heavy eye-lids contently. _It's later today..._It didn't take long for him to begin to drift back to sleep. Just when his breathing had deepened and sleep was tugging him temptingly back into dream-land, Tifa stiffened slightly in his arms.

"Something amatter Tifa?" he murmured, still drifting off.

There was no answer, but all of the sudden, Tifa had jumped out of bed. Cloud could hear her bare feet slap against the ground as she ran to the bathroom, and the slam of the door behind her. Now completely awake for the first time this morning, Cloud sat up in bed. He scratched his head confusedly and stared at the closed bathroom door, worry causing him so slip out of the warm bed and brave the cold.

He walked over to the bathroom door quickly, being careful not to leave his bare feet on the frigid floor for too long. Hesitantly, he lifted a hand and knocked softly on the door.

"Tifa?" he asked quietly. "You alright?"

Again, she didn't answer him. Cloud pushed the door open cautiously. When he saw Tifa bent over the toilet, he rushed forward, pulling her hair back and supporting her around the waist. His heart thumped frightenedly as she threw up. _The poison..._he thought, feeling panicky. _It's the poison again! _Tifa stopped, and turned around to see Cloud staring at her as though his worst nightmares had come true.

Tifa sighed slightly and stood up. Cloud hovered around her, supporting her carefully. She placed a gentle hand on his arm.

"It's alright Cloud," she said softly. "I can stand."

She gave him a small smile and headed over to the sink, washing her face and hands. Cloud followed her. He hugged her from behind, eyes wide and frightened, as she brushed her teeth. When she was done, Cloud tugged at her waist anxiously.

"Come on Tifa..." he begged. "Let's go to the hospital..."

Tifa turned around in his embrace and rested her head against his chest.

"No Cloud, I'm fine..." she told him comfortingly.

Cloud took her by the shoulders so he could stare at her disbelievingly.

"Tifa!" he exclaimed. "If you were fine, then you wouldn't be throwing up! Just like that one night!"

Tifa shook her head quickly.

"No Cloud!" she said earnestly, running a hand across his furrowed brow. "It's not like last time at all, I swear. I'm just a little naseous, that's all. I was a little scared the first time too but-"

Cloud jumped. He gave her an incredulous stare.

"The first time!" he asked loudly.

Tifa lowered her gaze, shuffling her feet slightly.

"How long have you been sick?" Cloud questioned weakly.

"Not long..." she mumbled, but continued hastily when she looked at Cloud's face. "Two weeks...maybe three."

Cloud face fell. Tifa began talking quickly, placing her hands comfortingly on his shoulders.

"Don't look like that, Cloud!" she urged, smiling reasurringly. "It's not that bad! It's just in the mornings really. I feel fine by afternoon, I swear!"

She hugged him tightly. After a minute, he returned her embrace shakily, resting his head on her hair.

"Let's still go to the hospital Tifa..." he whispered.

"But Cloud..." she protested into his shirt.

Cloud cut her off, pulling back and meeting her eyes desperately.

"Please Tifa..." he begged. "Even if it's only to make me feel better...let's just go okay?"

Tifa took one look at his face and sighed, nodding glumly. Cloud slumped in relief, and they left the bathroom to get dressed quickly.

* * *

A half an hour later, Cloud and Tifa stood outside the hospital hand-in-hand. After the poisoning incident, neither had stepped in the hospital. After spending those few, terrible hours in there, when they were sure Tifa was going to die, they avoided the area. It brought back painful memories for both of them. Which is why they were paused outside of the doors, staring at the building apprehensively.

Cloud slid his arm around Tifa's shoulders and ushered her forward gently.

"Come on Tifa..." he whispered. "Let's go."

She gave him a wary look, but allowed herself to be walked through the door. The hospital was empty except for a nurse at the desk. The nurses head popped up when the door clicked shut behind them. She gave them a cheery smile.

"Mr. Strife! And Mrs. Strife!" she said perkily. "Good morning!"

Then returned her greeting quietly.

"What can I do for you this morning?" she asked, still smiling.

Cloud gave Tifa a litte nudge.

"I've been feeling um...a little sick lately." Tifa said, voice small.

Cloud sighed exasperatedly.

"She's been throwing up." he told the nurse matter-of-factly. "We think it might be related to the poi-"

Tifa shoved him slightly.

"Cloud!" she hissed. "It's _not_ related to the poison."

The nurse eyed them warily.

"Well then..." she began. "Come around back and we'll see if we can figure out what's wrong."

"Nothing's wrong..." Tifa mumbled under her breath as Cloud led her forward, arm around her waist.

The nurse followed them, shaking her head slightly. She motioned them into one of the cubicles and drew a curtain around them. Both of them, Cloud especially, looked more than a little uncomfortable in the environment. The nurse gave them an encouraging smile as Tifa sat on the edge of the examining table and Cloud sunk nervously into a nearby chair.

"So..." she said, settling down into a chair of her own. "What seems to be the problem?"

When Tifa didn't answer, swinging her legs nervously, Cloud answered for her.

"She's been throwing up." Cloud said, looking at the nurse anxiously, as though waiting for her to confirm his worst fears.

The nurse merely nodded and made a note on her clip-board.

"I see..." she murmed. "And Mrs. Strife?"

Tifa jumped slightly as the nurse addressed her.

"How often have you been throwing up?" the nurse questioned kindly.

"Two or three weeks..." Tifa answered hesitantly. "But it's not like last time at all...and just in the mornings. It's not like I'm sick all day."

The nurse cocked her eyebrow slightly at her words and gave Tifa and Cloud almost amused glances.

"I see..." she said again.

Cloud looked at her nervously.

"What is it?" he asked her. "Is it possible that the poison's still affecting her?"

The nurse gave him a skeptical look.

"I highly doubt it." she told him.

Cloud's shoulders slumped in relief and the nurse smiled at him before turning to Tifa.

"Now Mrs. Strife..." she said, turning to a new page on her clip-board. "I need you to answer a few questions for me."

Tifa nodded, looking slightly nervous.

"Have your cycles been normal lately?" the nurse questioned.

"Uhh..." Tifa said, looking surprised at the question. "I honestly couldn't tell you...everything has been so busy lately."

The nurse made a note on her clip-board and looked back up at Tifa.

"Are you sexually active, Mrs. Stife?" she asked seriously.

Cloud began chuckling in his corner and Tifa stared at the nurse, mouth agape.

"Excuse me?" Tifa asked.

The nurse merely smiled and repeated her question. Pink began to tinge Tifa's cheeks.

"Yes..." she answered, looking slightly confused.

After scribbling another note, the nurse faced her yet again. _What now..._Tifa wondered apprehensively.

"And how often do you engage in sexual intercourse?" the nurse asked.

This time, Tifa's cheeks flared red. Cloud was laughing loudly in his chair.

"Nurse!" Tifa exclaimed weakly.

The nurse smiled at her and ignored Cloud's laughter.

"I need you to answer honestly, please." she requested lightly, pencil poised over her clip-board.

Tifa glared at Cloud, who was still chuckling, and looked at the nurse, hands over her flaming cheeks.

"About...every other night..." Tifa mumbled, eyes on her feet.

Cloud gave a loud snort of laughter as the nurse made another note on her clip-board.

"Okay then," the nurse said briskly. "I'll need you to come with me Mrs. Stife, so we can get a urine sample."

With one last glare at the laughing Cloud, Tifa followed the nurse out of the room. When Tifa returned about ten minutes later, without the nurse, her cheeks were still tinged pink. Cloud gave her a sly smile when she sat back down on the examining table.

"Every other night, huh?" he asked, slinging a hand over her shoulder. "You've got it scheduled that perfectly?"

Cloud laughed as she punched him lightly, still blushing.

"Shut up Cloud!" she growled at him, even as a smile tugged at the corners of her lips. "Stupid nosy nurse..."

He gave her another sly grin.

"Hmm Tifa..." he began, "Looks like we're due for another round tonight..."

Tifa pushed him away, glaring playfully.

"If you keep this up, we won't be due for another thirty years!" she declared, crossing her arms.

She laughed at the crestfallen look on Cloud's face and kissed him on the cheek.

"I was _kidding _Cloud..." she said exasperately.

He gave her a grin and a slow, lingering kiss on the lips.

"Good..." he murmured.

They both burst into giggles and pulled away quickly as the nurse pushed back the curtains. She waited patiently for their laughter to stop.

"I have the test results." she told them, motioning to her clip-board.

Cloud weaved his fingers through Tifa's.

"And?" Tifa asked quietly.

The nurse gave them both wide smiles.

"You're going to have a baby!" she exclaimed.

This time it was the nursed turn to laugh, as Cloud and Tifa's jaws dropped open in surprise.

* * *

About twenty minutes later, Cloud and Tifa were approaching their house, faces suprised. The nurses words were still sinking in.

"A baby..." Cloud whispered, shaking his head in amazement.

"Two and a half months pregnant..." Tifa said wide-eyed. "And I didn't even know."

They stopped walking, and turned to face each other, holding hands. The shock on their faces was beginning to wear off. Cloud met Tifa's eyes, and huge smiles blossomed on both their faces. At the same time, they began laughing loudly and joyously, paying no mind to the few strangers outside. Cloud hugged Tifa fiercely, and lifted her off the ground, spinning her. Tifa's laughed happily, her arms tightly around Cloud's neck. He set her on her feet and kissed her swiftly.

"A baby..." he whispered, heart thumping excitedly. "We're going to have a baby..."

Tifa smiled, looking just as excited as Cloud felt.

"A baby..." she repeated softly, pressing her forehead to Cloud's.

They kept repeating it to each otherquietly, as though to confirm it was really true. They continued home, arms looped tightly around one another, grins wide on their faces.

"When are we going to tell everyone?" Tifa asked, bursting with excitement.

Cloud laughed and kissed her hair.

"Whenever you want to." he told her.

Tifa grabbed his hand and began to run.

"Now!" she said, laughing. "I want to tell them now!"

Cloud joined her laughter and squeezed her hand tightly.


	28. Chapter Twenty Eight

_"We deceive ourselves when we fancy that only weakness needs support. Strength needs it far more."_

_Madame Swetchine_

Everyone stared at Cloud and Tifa as they bursted into the conference room. No one was slumped over in their chairs; everyone was sitting up straight and listening to the war advisor. The meeting had already started. Someone made a cluck of annoyance with their tongue.

"You two are late..." the war advisor chided.

Still smiling, they gave quiet apologies and chose seats next to one another at the far end of the table. _Later then..._Tifa thought cheerfully as the war advisor began talking. She exchanged secret smiles with Cloud before focusing her attention on the war advisor. They were still planing the attack. Tifa heard Reeve clear his throat inquiringly.

"When are we planning to execute this attack?" he asked quizzically.

Everyone began talking at once in low voices; they too had been wondering.

"It's not up to me." the war advisor said quietly.

The war advisor sat down and allowed them to talk amongst themselves.

"It should be soon..." Barret said gruffly. "Before they can git us."

There were a few affirmative mumbles around the table, but Elena shook her blonde head slightly.

"Why the hell not Elena?" Reno asked.

She shot him a sharp look, but then turned to the group.

"If we go too soon," she stated. "We might not be ready enough...and we really only have one shot at this don't we?"

Everyone took this in solemnly. Clasping Tifa's hand tightly between his own, Cloud spoke up.

"Elena's right." he said seriously. "We need to take as long as we can planning this, to make sure we've thought of everything. If we succeed, we'll end the war. But if we fail..."

There was a collective gulp. Under the table, Tifa's hand squeezed Cloud's tightly.

"We die." Rude finished for him.

"Do you have to be so blunt?" Yuffie mumbled under her breath.

They fell into silence, the seriousness of the matter weighing heavily on them.

"When are we going then?" Reeve asked, looking from solemn face to solemn face.

Reno yawned and leaned back in his chair.

"It's been three months..." he said matter-of-factly. "If we wait three more, it'll be half a year since the last battle."

Cloud turned towards the war advisor.

"Is three months long enough?" he asked.

When he received a nod in reply, Cloud turned towards the others.

"Is that okay with everybody?" Cloud questioned, looking from face to face.

Nobody protested, and it was settled. In three months time, they would enter Junon and assasinate Kale and the other SOLDIERS. Now that it was official, everyone began feeling a little nervous. There was still a lot of planning to do before then, but when you thought about it, three months wasn't really that long of a time. And there was always a chance they'd fail.

"Three months then..." the war advisor agreed softly. "Then I supposed, before we can taking our planning further, we need to know who is going?"

There was another silence. Cloud looked at Tifa. She squeezed his hand tightly, looking sad for the first time since they found out about the baby. She knew that she was going to be left behind.

"Cloud's obviously going..." Yuffie yawned, just to break the silence.

Everyone nodded.

"An' me..." Barret added.

The Turks looked at one another.

"We're going." Rude said in his quiet voice. "We know Junon fort best."

"I'm not getting left behind!" Yuffie squeaked, her peppy voice contrasted greatly from Rudes.

Reeve, sitting next to Yuffie just shook his head.

"I'm not good at combat anyways." he said slowly. "I'll be much more useful staying here...Someone needs to look after Cosmo Canyon anyways."

Everyone accepted this easily, and their gazes turned to Tifa. Tifa bit her lip and turned to Cloud. He wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulder. _She doesn't want to be left behind..._he thought, heart aching for her. The group continued to watch Tifa, faces expectant. Tifa just shook her head.

"Tifa's not going..." Cloud said softly.

They made loud sounds of disbelief.

"Tifa? Not going?" Yuffie asked incredulously. "Tifa _always_ goes!"

"I'm not going." Tifa confirmed softly.

Reno scratched his head.

"You serious?" he asked. "We usually can't get rid of you..."

Elena slapped him on the head, but everyone's attention was on Barret.

"Why aren't you goin' Tifa?" he was asking curiously.

Tifa looked at Cloud and he gave her an encouraging nod, a smile appearing on his face. Tifa turned towards the group, her hand tightly entwined with Cloud's. Everyone was watching them curiously.

"I'm not going..." Tifa said, smiling softly. "Because I'm pregnant."

There was a long silence as everyone absorbed this surprising information. Finally it was Reno that spoke up.

"Pregnant?" he asked, eye-balling Tifa's stomach. "That means you're gunna have a baby, right?"

Everyone burst out into laughter, and rushed forward to congradulate Tifa and Cloud. Yuffie hugged them both tightly, smiley widely and secretly thinking of all the ways she could corrupt their unborn child into taking Cloud's materia for her. Barret hugged them too, patting Tifa heavily on the shoulder.

"Seems like jus' yesterday when this dunderhead came waltzing in the Seventh Heaven..." Barret said, jerking his head in Cloud's direction. "Now you two're havin' a baby...Time sure goes by fast..."

Barret looked like he was going to say more, but he stopped when Reno dryly offered him a hanky. He backed off, and the others came forward, smiling widely, hugging Tifa, and shaking Cloud's hand. Finally the war advisor sighed.

"Today's not a day for planning an attack..." he said. "Go celebrate!"

Everyone's faces lit up, and they headed out, talking loudly and cheerfully, thoughts of the assination out of their minds.

* * *

The remainder of the day had been spent in an impromptu party at the inn. Every talked and ate with gusto, glad for a reason to celebrate. Barret had dropped by Elmyra's house to pick up Marlene, and both Marlene and Elmyra were at their little party. Everyone laughed when Marlene demanded that Tifa's baby come now. Tifa just laughed and shook her head.

"Soon Marlene." she promised, hugging the little girl. "Soon!"

The party lasted well through the day, and into the night. After they had eaten dinner, to everyone's surprise, Reno stood and proposed a toast.

"To Cloud and Tifa!" he said, giving them a wide smile. "And their baby!"

Their surprise faded, when five toasts later, the toasts showed no sign of stopping. Reno, Rude, Barret, Yuffie, and Elena all drank a shot to each one, laughing louder and louder as they drank more and more.

"To Tifa's hair!" Reno proposed cheerfully slurring. "May their baby inherit it instead of Cloud's."

Cloud and Tifa watched, laughing as the toasts grew more and more ridiculous and ridiculous, and their friends more and more drunk. As always, they had jumped on a chance to drink. Eventually, they forgot to make toasts and just drank their shots down one after another. The bartender, who had been keeping an apprehensive eye on them, hastily took away their alcohol. They were all to drunk to notice.

Yuffie, who obviously had the lowest alcohol tolerance out of all of them, stumbled over to Tifa and wrapped her arms around her middle. She then began speaking directly to Tifa's stomach.

"Hey, you in there!" she said, grinning tipsily. "We're gunna be pals. I'm gunna tell you exactly where Cloud keeps his materia, kay? Then you can steal it for me!"

Tifa delicately peeled Yuffie of her and she cheerfully pranced off to be drunk with the others. Cloud and Tifa exchanged half amused, half apprehensive looks.

"At least we know not to let Yuffie babysit..." Cloud said, shooting a narrow-eyed glance over to Yuffie, who was singing and dancing with all the others.

Tifa nodded, a small smile on her face. Cloud wrapped his arm around her back.

"You tired?" he asked softly.

She nodded, leaning her head into his shoulder.

"A little..." she replied. "But the nurse said the fatigue and sickness should be over soon..."

They sat in silence for a while, watching their friends drunkenly, yet happily, gavotte through the room. Cloud gently ran a hand through Tifa's hair.

"Wanna go to bed?" he asked her.

She nodded, eyes still on their friends.

"They'll get kicked out eventually," Cloud reassured her, with a little laugh. "I feel kind of bad for them...they'll be feeling this tomorrow."

Tifa smiled and they left the inn together, their friends voices audible nearly all the way home. It was late at night; everyone was inside, and it was beginning to get cold. They both sighed with relief as they entered their home, still warm from the hot sun shining into it all day. Cloud and Tifa got undressed and into their pajamas quickly. Tifa sat on the bed, pulling her knees up to her chest, and watching Cloud as he finished up.

Cloud turned his head to see Tifa's sad eyes following him and sat down next to her quickly.

"Tifa..." he whispered, stroking her cheek.

She squeezed her eyes shut and wrapped her arms firmly around his neck. Cloud wrapped his arms around her tightly, as he felt moisture from her tears.

"Remind me Cloud..." she whispered, choking on her words. "Remind me why you have to go."

Cloud stroked her hair, and forced himself to answer, feeling torn in two.

"For our baby Tifa..." he replied, trying to keep his voice steady. "So we can end this war...and know that our baby will be safe."

"For our baby..." Tifa repeated, voice hushed.

They both laid down, pulling the covers over themselves, and huddling close. Cloud gently kissed her tear-stained cheeks and she burried her head into his chest.

"I know you have to go..." she whispered. "I just...don't want to get left behind...I don't want to be alone."

Cloud hide his face into Tifa's hair as a multitude of unwanted mental images came to him. Tifa, laying in their bed alone at night...Tifa crying and him not being there to hold her...Tifa alone...with a baby. _I don't want to go either..._Cloud thought, heart heavy. But then, he remembered how Tifa had cried out in pain, and slowly faded away as the poison took its affects on her...and how the screams of the dying penetrated the hospital walls as the battle raged on outside...and Cloud knew that he had to go. _This war has to end..._Cloud thought, clenching his jaw against the pain in his heart. _I'll go...if it means Tifa will be safe...and our baby will grow up in a world without war._

"I'll come back Tifa..." he promised her. "We'll end this war...and I'll come back to you, okay?"

Tifa nodded, arms tight around his middle.

"I could never leave you alone for long..." he whispered.

She titled her head up to kiss him softly. He wiped away the remnants of the tears on her cheeks.

"I know Cloud..." she said, forehead pressed to Cloud's. "I know you'll come back."

He nodded, and Tifa took a shaky breath.

"It's just that...I'm so scared." she admitted quietly. "I want us to have the baby together...in a war-free word...I want that so much..."

Cloud kissed her, trying to smile convincingly.

"We will Tifa..." he whispered earnestly. "We will."

She cuddled back into his chest, breathing steadying out as she allowed her fears to be soothed. Cloud thought she had drifted off, but then she looked up at him, the sadness faded from her eyes.

"We're having a baby Cloud..." she whispered sleepily.

Cloud closed his eyes, and ran his fingers gently across the soft and still flat skin of Tifa's abdomen. It was still hard to believe.

"A baby..." he confirmed softly.

As they Tifa fell asleep, Cloud felt his emotions spilt in two. On one hand, he was holding the woman he loved in his arms, and they were going to have a baby...and the excitement and joy was almost too much to handle. But then...there were the fear and doubts. The possibility of failure now loomed over him, more threatening and terrifying than ever. Suddenly, Cloud came to realize, there was much more at stake.


	29. Chapter Twenty Nine

_"There is nothing more difficult to plan, more doubtful of success, nor more dangerous to manage than the creation of a new order of things...Whenever his enemies have occasion to attack the innovator they do so with the passion of partisans, while the others defend him sluggishly so that the innovator and his party are alike vulnerable."_

_Niccolo Machiavelli_

It still amazed Cloud, how whenever he wanted time to slow down, it seemed to go faster. There were only two weeks left until the assination mission. They had gone over the plans a million times, but it failed to soothe everyone's anxiety. No matter how many times they reviewed the plan, there was still chance for failure. Cloud, Yuffie, Barret, Reno, Rude, and Elena had all been given specific instructions to do in every possible situation. Vincent would also be helping with the mission, but only with the breaking into Junon.

Cloud squinted into the sun as he descended the stairs from the conference room. Tifa usually insisting on attending all the meetings, but she had trouble sleeping the previous night, and Cloud managed to convince her to stay home. In the past, Tifa had always slept on her stomach, but now that her belly bulged past her pelvic bones, she was forced to resort to her side or back. Cloud shook his head and smiled as he clutched a jar of pickles- Tifa's newest craving- in his hands. Tifa was five months pregnant and beautiful as always.

His smile faded slightly as he thought of what was to come two weeks from now. Cloud found that he was more afraid of this mission than the one with Sephiroth. Last time, if they fought, they may die...and if they didn't fight, they'd die anyways. This time if he died, there would still be people left behind...people he loved.

Unbeknownst to Tifa, Cloud had made several preperations. Reeve told Cloud that he would give Tifa some unexerting jobs to do while he was gone to keep her mind off the worrying. Red was coming back to Cosmo Canyon in two weeks time, so that he could be there while Cloud and the other's were gone. Red had always been good at comforting Tifa. Tifa was going to be staying at Ms. Elmyra's house along with Marlene. Ms. Elmyra reassured Cloud several times that she'd keep Tifa from stressing herself out.

But those weren't the only preperatioins Cloud had made. He had also made plans...in the case that they should fail. Reeve had pulled him aside from dinner a couple weeks ago to show him the escape path he had developed to get out of the fort. Both him and Red and promised Cloud that they'd get Tifa out if the mission failed. And Cloud had spoken to Cid and Shera several times. They would take in Tifa and the baby...if he died.

Cloud sighed and shook his head. He didn't really want to think about that at the moment. He tried to think less depressing thoughts as he continued on his way home. The people of Cosmo Canyon were beginning to emerge from their homes. Several of them stopped him to talk- everyone wanted to know how Tifa was doing. Cloud smiled. Him and Tifa were the first out of all their friends to have a baby, and they were all excited. Yuffie was perhaps a little _too_ excited, but Cloud had rained on her parade and told her that their baby was not going to become her sidekick.

Cloud shook his head amusedly as he began walking up the stairs that led home. He hoped there was time for a nap before the next meeting...It felt like the days were filled with plans and preperations...

"Cloud!" a shout came from the top of the stairs.

His head snapped up. Tifa was standing in the doorway in her pajamas, both hands clutched to her stomach.

"Cloud!" she persisted. "Come quick! Hurry!"

Cloud began running when he heard the urgency in her voice. The pickle jar slipped from his hands and broke into pieces on the concrete. But Cloud ignored this, taking the steps two at a time. _The baby..._he thought, panicked. _There's something wrong with our baby!_ He skidded to a stop in front of Tifa, but before he could ask what was wrong, Tifa grabbed his wrist and pressed it firmly to her stomach. He felt confusion when he saw she had an excited smile on her face, and her eyes were sparkling.

"Tifa what-" he began.

He jumped when he felt a tiny thump against his hand. Tifa laughed joyfully at the shock on his face. His eyes looked from his hand to Tifa and back again. Slowly, a smile spread across his face as he felt another tiny kick.

"The baby's been kicking all morning!" Tifa announced. "I thought I had the hiccups at first..."

Cloud joined in her joyous laughter, and gave her a happy kiss. They walked inside, sat down on the sofa, and Cloud pressed his hands onto her stomach again, looking up excitedly every time he felt it.

"Do you feel it Cloud?" Tifa asked him with a huge smile.

He nodded vigorously and laughed as the baby gave another gentle thump.

"Good thing our baby doesn't kick as hard as its mommy..." Cloud said jokingly.

"Well you know Cloud..." Tifa said, pointing an emphatic finger at him. "By the time our baby is ten years old..."

Cloud cut her off with a gesture and a laugh.

"I know, I know Tifa..." he said, chuckling. "Master in martial arts, sword master, pro-shooter, ninja, pilot...Master in getting its way if Marlene hangs around too much..."

Tifa giggled.

"But not a materia thief!" Tifa said, waggling her finger in fake sterness.

Cloud nodded vigorously.

"And we don't want you hanging around Reno..." Cloud said directly to Tifa's stomach. "We want a smart baby..."

Cloud burst into laughter and Tifa punched him lightly on the arm.

"Cloud!" Tifa laughed. "Poor Reno...he's already been getting enough grief from Elena."

They both laughed at this. Elena had been taking advantage of the fact that _she _could gross Reno out for a change. She enjoyed talking loudly to Tifa about "placentas" and "breast-feeding" in the middle of dinner, while giving Reno evil smiles.

Tifa leaned back against Cloud, and he wrapped his arms around her from behind. Her stomach loomed right in their line of vision. Cloud smiled and ran his hand over it.

"It's still hard to believe..." Tifa said softly, placing her hands on her stomach too.

"I know..." Cloud whispered. "We're going to be _parents_..."

They bothed sighed, but smiled slightly as the baby kicked again.

"Do you remember a lot about your mother Tifa?" Cloud asked her quietly.

Tifa was quiet for a minute before answering.

"I remember a lot of good things..." she said slowly. "I remember Mama singing me to sleep...her hugs and kisses...but I never got to ask her a lot of things that mother's tell their daughters. Taking care of a newborn baby...giving birth...those things are still mysteries to me."

Cloud nodded.

"You'll be a great mother Tifa..." he told her gently.

She smiled and leaned back against his chest.

"And you'll be a great father Cloud..." she responded.

"I don't know..." Cloud said softly, running his hand over Tifa's bulging abdomen. "I never knew my father."

Tifa grabbed his hand and clutched it between both of hers, pressing it to her face.

"It doesn't matter Cloud..." she said, nuzzling him gently. "I'm sure there are a lot of things about being parents that can't be taught..."

Cloud kissed her hair tenderly.

"Did you get back to sleep after I left?" he asked, running a hand through her silky hair.

Tifa gave a tired laugh.

"You try sleeping while someone kicks you in the stomach!" she said humorously. "Besides...I was too excited to go back to sleep."

Cloud smiled and again reached down to feel their baby kick.

"I wonder what our baby will be like..." he murmured sleepily.

They leaned back onto the sofa, falling asleep together. _Just me and Tifa..._Cloud thought contently, resting his hand ontop her stomach. _...And our baby...

* * *

_

Kale sat in his office, eyes gleaming manically. Heidegger looked slightly afraid of him as always. Kale had killed several of his own men in the past week for mild annoyances, two of them SOLDIERS. His insanity was starting to get the better of him. Heidegger took a step away from the desk.

"You called for me?" he asked, voice quavering.

Kale's head gave a jerk, as though he was seeing him for the first time.

"Did I?" he asked, stroking his chin menacingly.

He took another step backwards and nodded meekly. He watched, limbs shaking and Kale fingered his sword carefully. Heidegger almost had a heart attack when Kale jerked forward again.

"That's right!" Kale exclaimed, clapping his hands together. "I _did_ call for you."

Heidegger clutched a hand to his massive chest.

"What did you want sir?" he wheezed.

Kale grinned.

"The new weapon?" he prompted, watching Heidegger eyes follow his hands as he twirled his sword.

Heidegger gulped nervously.

"It's..." he began slowly.

Kale sat up quickly, causing Heidegger to cower.

"Done?" Kale hissed, eyes bulging. "Isn't that what you were going to say?"

"No sir..." Heidegger whispered, cringing.

Kale gave a wild howl, and with one sweeping motion of his arm, knocked everything off of his desk.

"No! Did you just say no to me?" Kale seethed, smashing a glass on the ground.

Heidegger backed his huge body into the farthest corner of the room, wincing away from Kale's anger. Kale looked up at him and began to laugh. Heidegger looked even more frightened by his laughter as Kale bent over, almost wheezing from the force of his laughter. He slapped his hand on his now empty desk and motioned for Heidegger to come back.

"Come here..." Kale said, between laughing fits.

Heidegger obliged unwillingly, looking as though he thought Kale would snap and kill him any second. He let out a whimper as Kale grabbed him forceful by the collar and put his face inches away from his, eyes gleaming in insanity.

"I want the weapon finished by the end of the week, do you understand?" he hissed. "And then I'll give you one more week to get my best SOLDIERS over to Cosmo Canyon with the _finished _weapon."

Heidegger nodded and Kale pushed him away, causing him to stumble and nearly fall.

"In two weeks time..." Kale yelled at Heidegger's retreating back. "I want Cosmo Canyon reduced to rubble and flames!"


	30. Chapter Thirty

_"Time goes by so fast, people go in and out of your life. You must never miss the chance to tell these people how much they mean to you."_

_Anonymous_

Cloud opened his eyes, then immediately shut them as he noticed the sun's rays creeping through the window. A sick feeling enveloped his stomach. He'd be leaving before dawn the next morning. The past week and a half had flown by...Cloud sighed. The plans were finalized, everything was set up...there was really no turning back now.

Tifa made a soft sound in her sleep, and Cloud hoisted himself up on one elbow to look at her. Her face was peaceful, eyes closed, lips turned upwards...Cloud pulled a few soft strands of hair off her face and continued to watch her. A crease appeared in her brow for a minute, but she didn't wake up. Cloud reached down gently and ran his hand over her round belly.

"Let your mother sleep a little longer..." he whispered, as the baby kicked again.

He smiled when Tifa's face relaxed, and he slid his hand off her stomach, settling back down beside her. He cuddled up to her back, resting his face atop her hair. _What wouldn't I give to just stay here..._he thought longily. Cloud squeezed his eyes shut again, trying to fall back asleep. The sick feeling returned to him again. _You have to talk to her today..._he told himself firmly. _You have to talk to her about what will happen if the mission fails...you've put it off long enough._

Cloud pushed the thought aside for later as Tifa turned around in his arms, eyes flickering open sleepily.

"Morning Tifa..." he whispered, cupping her cheek and giving her a soft kiss on the lips.

The content, sleepy look in her eyes slowly faded as she woke up enough to realize what today was. The corners of her lips tugged down slightly as she looked up at Cloud. He forced a smile on his face.

"Baby wake you up?" he asked quietly, avoiding the topic that was on both their minds.

She slid one hand over the bulge of her stomach and shook her head.

"I think I'm getting used to it..." she said in a tone of forced normalcy. "Why? Was the baby kicking this morning?"

Cloud nodded and covered Tifa's hand with his own. She laced her fingers through his and rested her head on his shoulder. They were silent for a minute. Cloud felt Tifa sigh and he knew they wouldn't be avoiding the topic any longer.

"So today's finally here..." Tifa whispered.

Cloud grimaced and pressed his lips to her hair.

"Hopefully the next couple days will go by as quickly as the last two weeks..." he mumbled.

Tifa's hand squeezed his tightly.

"What night is it happening again?" she asked, voice tiny.

"Not tomorrow night, but the night after." Cloud answered. "Then we'll be back the following day provided that everything goes as planned..."

Tifa didn't respond. When Cloud looked down at her, her face looked pinched.

"You ready to get up?" he asked softly, trying to distract her mind from whatever unhappy thoughts were running through it. "Red's coming soon...we can go meet him if you want."

She gave him a nod and a strained smile. He gently helped her out of bed. His eyes followed her all the way to the bathroom. He sighed and put a hand to his head as soon as she was out of sight. _I just wish I could know that she's going to be okay...

* * *

_

It was a picture perfect morning in Comso Canyon. Cloud tried to enjoy the warm sun on his face and the gentle breeze, but every happy sensation was muted by the sickkness in his stomach. He looked over at Tifa's down turned face and gave her hand a little tug. When she met his gaze, her eyes were big and sad. Cloud pressed a gentle kiss to her temple.

"Let's try to be happy today, okay?" he whispered into her hair.

Tifa was quiet for a minute, but when she lifted her head she had a small smile on her face.

"You're right Cloud." she said softly. "Let's make today a good one..."

They continued walking hand-in-hand. It was mid-morning and most of the people of Cosmo Canyon were outside enjoying the good weather. Cloud and Tifa waved to a few of them as they passed.

"Where are we meeting Red?" Tifa asked, looking over the sun-soaked town.

Cloud squinted into the sun and pointed ahead of them.

"Over by the diner." he told her. "Red said he'd be there around eleven..."

They reached the diner in a matter of minutes and settled down on a bench.

"You tired?" Cloud asked Tifa, running a hand down her hair.

She slipped her hand down to her stomach and smiled at him saucily.

"You'd be tired too if you were carrying ten extra pounds..." she told him, poking him in the stomach.

He grabbed her finger and she giggled at him.

"Maybe you _are_ carrying around ten extra pounds!" she teased softly. "No more dessert for you Cloud..."

Cloud gave her a mock offended look.

"If I recall correctly..." he began, patting her massive belly. "I wasn't the one who ate, not two, not three, but _four_ servings of dinner last night."

Tifa smacked his hands away playfully.

"The nurse said I needed more protein!" she said defensively.

They both laughed. Cloud kissed her swiftly, glad that her eyes were no longer sad. He pulled back, and she settled under his arm.

"When are you seeing the doctor again?" he asked her quietly.

"Tomorrow, I think." she answered. "Three months left..."

Cloud smiled and rested his hand over hers where it lay across her stomach.

"There's so much to do before then..." he said.

Tifa nodded in agreement. Judging by the look on her face, Cloud knew she was thinking about the next day, but gave her a gentle squeeze and the look disappeared. They sat in a peaceful silence for awhile, but the silence was soon broken as they heard a cheerful voice calling out to them.

"Cloud! Tifa!" it was shouting.

Cloud sighed.

"You can always hear her coming from a mile away..." he said to Tifa, shaking his head.

Tifa laughed as they watched Yuffie round the corner and skid to a stop in front of them. She took a minute to catch her breath and then smiled up at them.

"I've been up since _six_!" Yuffie told them cheerfully. "Can you believe it? Me! Up early!"

"Pretty amazing..." Cloud said dryly.

He and Tifa exchanged amused looks but Yuffie ignored them and continued on.

"Anyways..." she said, digging in her bag. "I went by the market this morning and the baker gave me these to give to you."

She handed Tifa a box and she peered inside.Eleven and a half blueberry muffins were settled at the bottom of the box. Tifa gave Yuffie a look and held up the half-eaten muffin.

"If you're going to eat my muffins, you could at least hide the evidence." she said, eye-balling Yuffie.

Yuffie gave Tifa a nervous smile. Tifa was a little over-protective of her food nowadays. Cloud patted Tifa's hand consolingly.

"I'm sure you'll get along just fine with eleven muffins Tifa..." he told her jokingly.

Yuffie burst into laughter and Tifa glared at her playfully.

"I can't wait until _you're _married and pregnant Yuffie!" she teased. "Let's see how many muffins you get..."

She took a step back and shook her head vigorously.

"Me?" Yuffie said incredulously. "Married! And pregnant! No way!"

Tifa laughed.

"You'll change your mind someday..." Tifa said confidently, smiling widely.

Cloud made a hushing sound to Tifa.

"Don't encourage her Tifa!" he begged. "We don't need more than one Yuffie running around here..."

Yuffie snorted indignantly as Cloud and Tifa burst into laughter.

"Just because you said that..." she told Cloud, shaking her fist as him. "I'm going to have millions of children! And they'll all be _just _like me!"

Yuffie and Tifa laughed at the look of horror on Cloud's face.

"Anyways..." Yuffie said, as their laughter died down. "I'm gunna run. See you guys at dinner!"

She took off. Cloud was still staring at her with blank disbelief.

"She's not serious, right?" he asked Tifa, pleading slightly.

Tifa gave his shoulder a little shove.

"She was just kidding Cloud..." she told him, exasperated.

He sighed in relief and Tifa rolled her eyes.

"Besides," Tifa said. "Yuffie's not even eighteen yet...she's got a while to go before thinking about any of that anyways."

Tifa paused a moment, and when she began talking again, her voice was somber.

"Sometimes I forget Yuffie's so young..." she whispered. "You'll watch out for her when you guys are on the mission, won't you Cloud?"

"Of course Tifa...we all will." Cloud told her softly, brushing back her hair. "Yuffie may be a pain in the butt, but she _is_ the baby out of all our friends."

Tifa laughed quietly.

"Don't ever let her hear you call her the baby..." Tifa warned him amusedly. "She'll _kill_ you!"

"Don't I know it..." Cloud chuckled.

His laughter faded as his eyes squinted down the street. Tifa followed his gaze and smiled as she saw a red, four-legged figure approaching. It had been over two months since they'd last seen Red. He gave Cloud and Tifa his strange, toothy grin as he came up to them.

"It's still hard to believe..." he said, looking at Tifa.

She smiled at him and nodded.

"It's hard for us to believe sometimes too." she told him.

Cloud and Tifa got up and walked alongside Red, down the street.

"How much longer?" Red asked.

"Three months or so..." Cloud answered. "Hard to believe it's so soon, right?"

Red nodded.

"Do you plan on staying here after the baby's born?" he asked them.

"Of course!" Tifa said, looking suprised he was asking that. "Cosmo Canyon is home now."

Red looked pleased with her answer.

"I grew up in Cosmo Canyon..." he told them. "I had a happy childhood here."

Tifa and Cloud smiled at each other, and followed Red down the street.

* * *

Just as they had suspected, the day went by quickly. Dinner had been loud and cheerful as always, but it was obvious that things weren't as normal as they were all pretending.

Reno had responded to all the tension by being even louder than usual. His loud jokes and wise-cracks eased the atmosphere a little bit, but it was obvious that he was worried too. He and Elena didn't bump heads once the entire night, which was needless to say, extremely rare. Reno didn't even complain when Tifa got more food than everyone else. Rude was as quiet as usual, but his brow was puckered above his sunglasses.

Yuffie's earlier cheerfullness had faded slightly by dinner time. Her face was paler than usual as she sat at the table, laughing at Reno's jokes and making her own every now and then. Much to her embarassment, her father had called earlier, and demanded to talk to Cloud and everyone going on the mission the next day. Lucky for her, no one had the heart to tease her about it.

Reeve and Red had sat through the meal with a strange detatched sort of feeling. Besides Tifa, they were the only ones not going on the mission tomorrow. They were incredibly worried for all their friends, despite however much confidence they had in their abilities.

Marlene had clung to Barret all night, instead of sitting with the girls like she usually did. Barret was unusually quiet all night, smiling forcedly and allowing Marlene to sit on his shoulder like she had when she was smaller. Him and Marlene were the first to leave. Marlene had hugged everyone goodbye, since she wouldn't be seeing them before they left. Even Reno and Rude had hugged her back.

Cloud and Tifa were next to leave. They had walked home silently, unable to find something cheerful to say, and unwillingly to talk about the mission. They had reached their house fairly quickly, and slid into bed almost immediately. Cloud looked over to Tifa, illuminated by the moonlight, and he knew he couldn't hold the conversation off any longer. He reached over and gently touched her shoulder.

"Tifa..." he whispered. "About tomorrow..."

Tifa squeezed her eyes shut and hide her face into her pillow.

"Cloud...don't..." she begged softly.

Cloud pulled closer, wrapping his arms around her.

"Just hear me out, okay Tifa?" he said quietly.

Tifa burried her head into his chest and didn't respond. Cloud continued.

"There's a chance we could fail..." he told her gently. "We all know that..."

He stroked her back lightly.

"If we happened to fail..." he began.

Tifa pulled back angrily.

"That's not going to happen!" she screamed in a whisper.

Cloud reached out to touch her face, but she quickly burried it back into his chest. He sighed.

"Just listen Tifa..." he whispered, kissing her hair softly.

When she didn't make a retort, he continued.

"If we fail..." he said lowly. "Reeve and Red are going to get you and Marlene out of Cosmo Canyon, okay? They'll take you to Rocket Town. I already talked to Cid and Shera. They're ready to take you in if..."

His voice died. Tifa was silent against his chest.

"I just need to know you'll be okay Tifa..." he whispered. "You and the baby..."

Tifa pushed back away from him so she could see his face. Her hand slid up and cupped his face gently, her fingers tracing over his forehead and down his cheek. She lightly brushed over his lips and he gave her a small smile. Tifa returned it, but slowly it crumpled and her eyes filled with tears. Her hand trembled against his face. Cloud quickly pulled her to him, and the tears spilled over her cheeks as her shoulders racked with sobs.

"Not without you Cloud..." she cried.

Cloud pressed his face into her hair, the urge to forget becoming almost unbeatable. Tifa's tears wet his skin, and her sobs hummed against his collarbone.

"Tifa..." he whispered, voice catching. "All you have to do is ask...and I won't go."

Tifa's pulled back at his words. Her face was shiny with tears, and her lips trembled with the effort of holding back another sob. Cloud wiped the tears gently off her cheeks. She opened her mouth to say something, but stopped abruptly, hand flying down to her stomach. Cloud's hand immediately followed hers, skimming over the soft material of her pajama top. The baby was kicking again.

They felt their baby kick in silence. Tifa's sobs slowly stopped, a small glimmer of happiness returning to her eyes. When they could no longer feel the tiny thumps against their hands, Tifa settled back down against Cloud's chest.

"It's not just about us any more..." she whispered, all traces of tears gone from her voice.

Cloud nodded.

"I know Tifa..." he murmured, hand gently stroking her cheek.

Tifa pressed her face closer.

"You don't have to worry about me Cloud..." she told him softly. "I'll do whatever I have to...for our baby."

Cloud smiled at her words and ducked down to give her a tender kiss on the lips.

"I will too Tifa..." he whispered. "I'll do whatever I can to keep you and the baby safe...I promise."

* * *

The next morning, Cloud and Tifa stood outside Ms. Elmyra's house, arms around each other, unwilling to move. Barret had already dropped Marlene off, and everyone was waiting on Cloud. He breathed in Tifa's scent deeply. He was beginning to think he'd never be able to let go, when Tifa pulled back and gave him a sad smile.

"They're waiting for you..." she whispered.

He nodded silently, taking in everything about her, from her long dark hair to her round belly. He gave her a soft, lingering goodbye kiss. His hand lingered on her cheek after they pulled back. Tifa placed her hand over his and held it there for a minute.

"I'll see you in three days Tifa..." he told her breathily.

She nodded, eyes filled with tears, but none spilling over. Cloud bent down and kissed her on the stomach.

"You stay in there until I get back..." he whispered.

He straightened back up. A single tear had trailed down Tifa's face. He wiped it away for her and tried to summon up a smile. Tifa gave an equally trembly, sad smile in return. She stood on her tip-toes to kiss his cheek.

"Be careful Cloud..." she told him softly. "I'll be waiting."

He nodded solemnly and took a step backwards. Tifa did likewise. He turned away slowly and walked down the street, towards the entrance to Cosmo Canyon. When he reached the end of the road, he turned back to look behind him. Tifa was still watching him, a lone form outlined against Ms. Elmyra's house. He raised his hand to wave, and smiled as Tifa waved back, one hand waving, the other holding her stomach gently.

Cloud stayed positioned where he was, under the streetlight, until he saw Tifa go inside. _I'll come back to you Tifa..._he promised silently. _I won't leave you alone..._ As he walked away, the thought didn't even cross his mind, that there was even a chance that something worse could happen.


	31. Chapter Thirty One

"_A mistake which is commonly made about neurotics is to suppose they are interesting. It is not interesting to be always unhappy, engrossing oneself, malignant and ungrateful, and never quite in touch with reality."_

_Cyril Connolly_

Tifa tossed and turned in the comfortable, yet unfamiliar bed, unable to feel even a little bit tired. It was so early in the morning that it was still dark, and Tifa wasn't quite ready to give up and leave her bed. The day before had been awful enough, and she wasn't prepared to face another day if it was going to be just as bad. She sighed and ran a hand over her stomach, trying not to think about what was going to happen in the upcoming night.

She didn't know how she was going to make it through the day without going crazy with worry. Yesterday had been hard enough. Reeve had tried to distract her with all sorts of things that were going on with Cosmo Canyon. It had worked for awhile, but by midday, Tifa had grown listless again. Red had then stepped in, and took Marlene and Tifa on a walk around the outside of the fort. Marlene enjoyed herself immensely, and cheerfully picked a bouquet to give to Elmyra when they got back.

Elmyra seemed to enjoy having Tifa and Marlene in her house. She filled up Tifa's somber silences with cheerful stories about Aeris when she was young, how she met her husband, and all sorts of things. Tifa listened interestedly to Elmyra's stories; she was surprised how much she didn't know about Aeris and Elmyra.

Tifa smiled into her pillow, but after barely five seconds, she could feel the smile fading again. _It's happening tonight... _she thought, sighing. _Please let everything turn out alright._ The doubts lingered on the edge of her thoughts, but she pushed them away stubbornly. She knew that the only way she would make it through the day, was if she told herself that everything would be fine. Tifa closed her eyes briefly, trying to imagine where Cloud might be at that very moment.

Her eyes snapped back open as she heard her door creak open. Tifa hauled herself up on one elbow, the other arm carefully sliding under her stomach. She could barely make out a shadow in the doorway.

"Hello?" Tifa asked softly, a note of suspicion barely detectable in her voice.

The door opened wider and someone took two light footsteps into her room.

"Tifa?" a small voice whispered uncertainly.

Tifa smiled as she recognized Marlene's sleep-laced voice and her small, pajama clad form. She patted the spot next to her on the bed, and Marlene rushed forward, her stocking feet padding gently on the floor. Marlene jumped on the bed next to Tifa and tucked her legs under her.

"What's up?" Tifa asked her, titling her head inquisitively.

"Can't sleep." Marlene responded, her voice sounding nothing like her usual cheerful chirp. "I've been up since _two o'clock_ _in the morning_!"

"Wow." Tifa said softly. "You've been up longer than me."

Marlene nodded at Tifa solemnly.

"I heard you wake up 'round three." she informed Tifa.

Tifa checked the clock and sighed. It was only four o'clock. It felt like she had been tossing and turning for ages, but it had only been an hour.

"Anyway," Marlene continued. "I got lonely, and thought maybe were lonely too, so I came in to keep you company."

Tifa smiled and gently pushed back Marlene's sleep-tousled hair.

"Maybe we could try to get some sleep together, huh?" Tifa suggested softly.

Marlene nodded vigorously and Tifa scooted over in the bed so Marlene could settle under the covers next to her. Marlene cuddled into Tifa's side, and Tifa stroked her back gently. Eventually Marlene's breathing became steady, and Tifa thought the little girl had fallen asleep, but Tifa was surprised as Marlene's voice piped up sleepily.

"Papa, Cloud, and the others will be home tomorrow, right Tifa?" she questioned, voice muffled by Tifa's shoulder.

"That's right..." Tifa answered slowly.

"And you'll have your baby when they come back?" Marlene asked.

Tifa laughed softly.

"Not right away Marlene." she told her gently. "These things take time."

Marlene quieted for awhile. She fiddled with the sleeve of Tifa's pajama top for a minute before voicing a question.

"Tifa?" she asked shyly, burying her face into her shoulder. "You and Cloud will still love me even after you have your own baby, right?"

Tifa felt something tug painfully on her heart, and she found herself almost struggling against tears. She bent down to kiss Marlene on the face.

"Of course we will Marlene." she promised, smoothing her hand over her brow. "Nothing could ever change that."

Marlene smiled up at Tifa before closing her eyes again, and barely ten minutes later, both of them finally fell asleep.

* * *

Cloud grunted grumpily as the sun crept through his eyelids. He shifted uncomfortably in his sleeping bag for a minute, but stopped when he hit a particularly sharp rock. He sat up groggily, looking over his surroundings in the early morning light.

His companions were strewn over the small clearing in the forest. Rude and Elena were sitting up in their sleeping bags like him, but Yuffie, Barret, and Reno had their eyes screwed stubbornly shut, trying to savor their last few minutes of sleep. Tied to some trees to his left, the chocobos were waking up, warking sleepily.

Cloud stood up, stretching his stiff muscles. He caught Yuffie staring at him despairingly through one barely cracked-open eye.

"Everyone up." Cloud said, looking pointedly at Yuffie. "We have to move on soon."

Rustling sounds filled the clearing as everyone reluctantly peeled off their covers. Cloud carefully began gathering his things together. He stopped for a minute to look at the heavy metal of his wedding ring before pulling his gloves on over it. Cloud glanced at Barret. Barret's eyes looked far away as he got himself together. Cloud bet he was thinking about Marlene.

Cloud sighed and pulled on his boots. He wondered how Tifa was doing back at home. He hoped she wasn't making herself sick with worry. Cloud looked around at the others, silently urging them to hurry up. The sooner they got this over with, the sooner he could go home.

Finally, Yuffie, Barret, and the Turks looked up at him. Despite the less-than-restful night of sleep they had the night before, they all looked alert and awake. Cloud gave them all a small nod. They all silently swung up on their respective chocobos, their faces serious.

"We'll be at Junon by nightfall." Cloud said solemnly.

He received five nods in reply. Cloud made a quiet noise to his chocobo, and they headed out.

* * *

Heidegger shifted his heavy weight nervously as he stood outside Kale's office. He wiped his sweaty palms on his pant legs, taking no notice of the unattractive wet marks they left on his thighs. Stress had caused him to eat enough breakfast to sustain five men, and it churned unpleasantly in his stomach as he hovered around anxiously.

A young recruit passed by him, and Heidegger's watched him, a glimmer of opportunity in his piggy eyes. He called out to the recruit, trying to regain the authoritative tone he once possessed.

"Hey you!" he shouted. "Come back here, I have an assignment for you."

The recruit dragged his feet as he walked back towards him. He stared at Heidegger, his face surly. Heidegger tried to hide his discomfort.

"I need you to give President Kale a message." he said firmly. "Tell him that the weapon and the best of his SOLDIERS are ready to attack just as he asked and-"

The young man cut Heidegger off with a loud snort.

"No thanks." he scoffed. "I'm not really in the mood to die today."

He walked away quickly, and Heidegger slumped hopelessly as he disappeared around the corner. His eyes flickered almost in a panic, to the heavy door in front of him. He took a shaky step towards it, and stopped. _You're not really going in there, are you? _he asked himself incredulously. Heidegger gulped.

It had been nearly two weeks since he last stepped foot in the president's office, but rumor had it that Kale's insanityhad gotten worse since then. Barely anyone made it out of his office alive. Heidegger's knees wobbled as he took another step forward. His breaths came out in panicky puffs as he placed his sweaty palm against the door and pushed it open.

An awful smell assaulted his senses as he stepped into the office. The immense breakfast he had was now pushing up his esophagus. Heidegger swallowed hard, and pressed a handkerchief to his nose. There were at least seven bodies lying on the office floor, decaying where they had fallen.

Heidegger quickly looked away from the bodies, and turned his eyes towards the large wooden desk. He had to smother a gasp as he caught sight of President Kale.

"Mr. President?" Heidegger asked, voice muffled by his handkerchief.

There was no response. Heidegger took another step forward. The president was bony, and dirty, his head slumped down on his desk. It seemed that he hadn't changed clothes or bathed since Heidegger had last entered the office. There were untouched trays of rotting food around him. Apparently he hadn't eaten either.

Feeling revolted to the core, Heidegger raised his voice a little louder.

"Mr President!" he shouted.

The gaunt and sickly figure raised its head and stared blankly at Heidegger. Kale's mako-eyes were teeming with insanity.

"Who're you?" he asked in a hoarse voice.

Heidegger gaped at him a minute. It wasn't until he saw that Kale was gripping his sword tightly, that he responded.

"Heidegger, sir." he answered, trying to keep the disgust out of his voice.

Kale grunted and leaned back in his chair. He fingered the handle of his sword with bony fingers.

"What do you want?" he asked harshly. "Why have you come here?"

Heidegger gulped and tried to keep his gaze steady.

"The weapon is ready just as you asked." he said, wincing slightly. "The best of your SOLIDIERS have reached the Cosmo Canyon coastline and will be attacking tonight."

Kale eyes had wandered away from Heidegger and were currently staring at a spot on the ceiling. Heidegger stood uncertainly. He cleared his throat loudly. Kale continued standing eerily still.

"Um, sir?" Heidegger said meekly.

Moving with unnatural quickness, Kale let out an inhuman shriek and slammed his fist down on the desk. Heart jumping into his throat, Heidegger watched, frozen with fear as the wood splintered around his fist and the desk broke in two. His eyes flickered back to Kale. He was staring at the ceiling again.

"I'll just leave then." Heidegger whispered weakly, cowering.

There was no response from Kale. Heidegger took a few steps backwards before breaking into a full out waddle-run and pushing the door open. The door swung closed behind him, and Heidegger fell to his knees, and became violently sick on the floor.


	32. Chapter Thirty Two

"_Every man has his own destiny: the only imperative is to follow it, to accept it, no matter where it leads him."_

_Henry Miller_

Vincent crouched on Junon's wall, silent and unmoving. He knew Cloud and the others would be arriving some time after nightfall, but as for exactly when, he had no clue. It was past midnight, but Vincent sat patiently, ready to wait all night if he had to.

He let his eyes drift for a minute towards a section of stone at the base of the wall. Vincent had spent the last two weeks or so chiseling out a chunk of the wall so that it could be pushed away when needed, but not be noticed by Junon guards.

However, Vincent wasn't sure that he should worry about the Junon guards any longer. Recently, Junon had been in a state of complete chaos. Everyone had been denied access to the main building in which the president resided, Vincent included. Because of this, Vincent had no idea what was causing the state of disarray.

He had heard the rumors though. Vincent frowned as he scanned the horizon. The word on the street was that President Kale had gone mad, and all the other SOLDIERS were missing. No one could understand what had caused this sudden insanity, but Vincent had a dark suspicion that the combination of stress, Mako, Jenova cells, and too much power had finally caused their brains to snap.

One thing was for sure though: Junon was not going to last for long. Someone, Heidegger probably, was trying to make it seem as though nothing was wrong, but it was a feeble illusion. Recruits had abandoned their duties days ago and returned to their families. A few brave civilians had even left Junon, trying to make their way home again.

Vincent was confident that the mission Cloud and the others were executing later that night would be easier than they had previously expected. The weak government that President Kale had set up was already crumbling; it wouldn't take too much to destroy it completely. This would all be over very soon.

Suddenly, Vincent's eyes narrowed in on several shapes in the distance. It appeared to be six figures on chocobos. Vincent knew it must be them, but waited an extra minute, until he could make out Cloud's spiky head. Yuffie was right behind him on her chocobo, the Turks behind her, and in the back, Barret, who always traveled rather slowly on chocobo.

Vincent remained still for a minute, until Cloud raised his hand, signaling that he had seen him. Vincent raised his hand likewise, and silently jumped down the wall, disappearing from their view for a minute. One clawed hand, and one normal hand ran over the wall, carefully feeling over the crevices between the stones.

Finally, he felt where the mortar had been chiseled away, and he pushed against it with all his strength. After a minute, the chunk of wall popped out of place, and began sliding, causing the chocobos on the other side to wark disgruntledly as they moved out its way. When there was at least four feet of space to pass through the wall, Vincent stopped pushing, and look to the others.

They had all dismounted from their chocobos, and were looking towards him, faces serious. Cloud's huge swords was strapped to his back, and the others had their weapons at hand also. Vincent silently motioned them to come in quickly. Cloud gave Yuffie a gentle push, and she went first, closely followed by the others, Cloud bringing up the rear.

Once inside, they remained silent still. Vincent began walking in towards the city, and could hear the soft footsteps of the others following him. He would guide them through the numerous, poverty-stricken streets of Junon city, until they reached the old part of Junon fort where President Kale was waiting. Then it would be up to them.

* * *

_This is much worse than last night..._ Tifa thought miserably. She was curled up in a chair near her bed, not even bothering to attempt sleeping. The sky was pitch black that night, and she hoped that it would help hide Cloud and the others as they sneaked into Junon. This thought caused her heart to flutter anxiously, and she closed her eyes, trying to keep her breathing steady.

Eyes still closed, Tifa went over the plan. She knew the plan as well as Cloud, Yuffie, Barret, Reno, Rude, and Elena. She had attended nearly all the meetings. Now, however, she wished that she didn't know anything at all about the plan, because it was replaying in her head over and over again.

In her mind, she imagined Cloud and the others meeting Vincent at the wall, and being guided through the city. Then, instead of taking the elevator, the Turks would lead them to the back staircase that was rarely used, and few knew of. Tifa imagined Cloud running up the many stairs, ignoring the inevitable complaints that would come from Barret, Yuffie, and Reno. Rude would probably just roll his eyes, but Elena probably wouldn't be able to restrain herself from making a snappy comment to Reno about not being able to handle a few stairs.

With or without the complaints, they'd reach the top of the staircase. The top door would be locked, but there was a control box nearby, and Elena knew how to dismantle the lock-system. Elena would work quickly and efficiently as always, as the others looked on, Rude glaring at Reno to keep him from saying anything to distract Elena. Barret would probably be adjusting his gun-arm, still grumbling under his breath about the unnecessary amount of stairs. Yuffie would be hopping from foot to foot, an anxious ball of energy. Cloud... Tifa smiled. He was probably calm as always, keeping an eye on the others, making sure that no one was going to have a break-down at the last minute.

Finally, Elena would look up from the control box and give Reno that triumphant look she always gave him when she did something he thought she couldn't do. He'd open his mouth to make a rebuttal, but Rude would cut him off with a glare. They'd open the door...

In her mind, Tifa saw the SOLDIERS lined up outside the door, waiting for them. Cloud and the others weren't expecting them to be there, giving the SOLIDERS the advantage. Even though Cloud, Yuffie, Barret, and the Turks would recover quickly from the unpleasant surprise, they would still be outnumbered. Cloud would turn to the others, telling them to run for it, and in that moment of vulnerability, the SOLDIERS would stab at him, causing him to fall to the floor, bleeding and dying...

Tifa's eyes sprung open, her heart pounding out of control and her breaths coming in panicked gasps. Her hands were clenched in tight fists, her nails digging deeply into her palms. She felt the baby kick in her stomach over and over in response to her distress.

She carefully unclenched her hands, and began rubbing her bulging stomach slowly, forcing herself to regain calm. She took careful deep breaths, reminding herself that it wasn't good for the baby if she kept getting so worked up.

_That's not the way the plan's supposed to go..._ she reminded herself firmly. _There's no reason for President Kale or any of the SOLIDERS to expect an attack. _Even as she told herself this, she couldn't ease the anxious knot in her chest. She remembered how terrified she had been of Kale when she had been imprisoned in Junon... It seemed like so long ago. _We've made it out of Junon- against all odds- several times before..._ Tifa thought, relaxing slightly as the baby's persistent kicks ended. _Cloud and the others can do it again._

Tifa sighed. She needed to find a distraction before she ran out of reassuring things to tell herself. She grabbed the armrests of the chair and hoisted herself slowly to her feet. The extra weight of pregnancy made her pause for a moment, wrapping a supportive arm around her abdomen.

Once she felt sufficiently balanced, she left her room, pulling on a robe as she did so. She closed her door quietly and made her way down the hall. As she left the darkened hallway, she was surprised to find that the lights were on in the kitchen, and Marlene and Mrs. Elmyra were up and talking. Mrs. Elmyra's eyes widened in shock as she saw Tifa.

"Tifa!" she gasped, coming forward to help her into a chair. "We didn't wake you up did we dear?"

Tifa gave Mrs. Elmyra a small smile shook her head.

"I just couldn't sleep, that's all." Tifa said softly, eyes lowered slightly.

Mrs. Elmyra nodded in understanding, and turned back to the teakettle. Marlene got up from her seat and moved to the one next to Tifa, looking up at her with wide-eyed adoration.

"I couldn't sleep either Tifa." she whispered. "I wanted to come in and sleep with you again, but Mrs. Elmyra said I should let her make me a hot drink instead."

Tifa smiled and Marlene and looked over to the empty cup next to her.

"Did it work?" Tifa whispered back. "Did it make you sleepy?"

Marlene giggled and shook her head vigorously. Tifa almost felt herself smiling again. _At least I'm not alone..._ she thought, gratefully accepting a warm cup of tea from Mrs. Elmyra. As soon as Marlene saw that Tifa had tea, she demanded that her cup be filled too, and they all sat around the table together sipping tea, talking cheerfully despite the anxiety in their hearts.

* * *

"I got it!" Elena whispered, eyes glimmering in triumph.

She smiled at the others, and the others gave her approving nods, except for Reno, who yawned in boredom. She pointedly ignored him. Everyone's eyes met, and all of the sudden, there was a thick tension in the air. Cloud slowly looked over everyone, meeting their eyes and making sure they were ready.

Cloud nodded shortly, and everyone nodded in return. They followed quietly to the door, eyes trained on his hand as he fiddled with the doorknob. After a minute there was a clicking noise and the door opened a crack. Cloud paused a minute to give Elena the thumbs-up before gently pushing the door open.

_Empty..._ Cloud thought, scanning the hall. A wave of relief swept through the small group as the others saw that everything was going as expected. The hallway was dark, but Cloud noted with relief that the emergency lights were on. It wouldn't have been good if they were forced to run around blindly as they had last time. Elena, Reno, and Rude must have been having similar thoughts; they were glancing at the lights gratefully.

They began walking cautiously down the hall. Cloud stepped gingerly, trying to minimize the sound of his footsteps as much as he could. The silence was beginning to get eerie. He listened carefully, but all he could hear was the footsteps of the others. Yuffie poked him in the shoulder.

"Hey Cloud..." she whispered, in a voice shockingly quiet for Yuffie. "Why's it so empty and quiet?"

Cloud just shook his head and motioned for her and the others to continue on. Anxiety was mounting again. Cloud remembered what Vincent had told him about the recruits in Junon shirking duty, and SOLDIERS disappearing... but Cloud couldn't believe that Junon fort was be completely abandoned.

The small group kept going, not making a sound. Every now and then, one of the Turks would nudge Cloud and point down a hall, directing him in the right direction. Kale's office was the first place they were going to check.

Just as they spotted the heavy doors that led to the president's office, Elena gave a strangled scream. Cloud turned around so fast it made his head spin, sword already in hand. But by the time he turned around, everyone was silent again, their eyes trained on Elena.

One hand was pressed firmly around her collarbone, where a cut snaked down from her neck, and the other hand was gripping her gun tightly, pointing it at Heidegger's forehead. The hand holding the gun was steady, even as blood stained the top of her blouse.

Cloud rushed forward, placing his sword at Heidegger's neck, as Reno and Rude pulled Elena back. He watched the three Turks out the corner of his eye. Elena was weakly trying to push the other two off her as they fussed over the cut. It was deep, and Elena was pale and shaky, but it didn't seem as though she were in any immediate danger.

Cloud refocused his eyes on the pathetic man in front of him. As Cloud narrowed his Mako-eyes menacingly, Heidegger gulped, and dropped his blood-stained dagger to the floor. It clanged loudly through the silent hall as it landed. Heidegger closed his eyes at the loud noise. His knees were shaking. It seemed as though stress had taken any scrape of nerves he had. Nevertheless, Cloud kept his sword pressed firmly to his neck.

"Where is everyone?" Cloud asked lowly and clearly.

Heidegger took a few trembly breaths before answering.

"They won't come up here." he whispered.

Cloud quickly exchanged glances with the others.

"Why not?" he asked, unable to keep the curiosity out of his voice.

He didn't answer. Barret grumbled impatiently and adjusted his gun-arm menacingly. Heidegger eyes darted throughout the group. His eyes rested on Yuffie for a minute, who seemed to be the least frightening, but she quickly gave him a wicked grin and fingered the sharp blades of her Shruiken. Heidegger didn't even bother to look towards Reno and Rude, who were carefully supporting Elena and glaring at Heidegger with looks that could burn.

A sudden crashing noise caused everyone's heads to whip behind them. Heidegger took their momentary distraction, and ran down the hall. He was surprisingly quick for someone of his stature. Reno angrily made to chase after him, but Cloud put out an arm and shook his head.

"He's not worth it." Cloud told him firmly.

Reno looked from Heidegger's pathetic waddle to Elena's bloodstained shirt, and slumped his shoulders, sighing. He walked back over to Elena and Rude. Once Cloud was sure that Reno wasn't going anywhere, he looked over to Yuffie and Barret, who were searching for the source of the crashing noise.

"What was that?" he whispered.

Barret looked up from where he was crouched.

"Somethin' knocked over this locker..." he grunted, motioning at the knocked over locker.

Cloud looked at the row of lockers. Yuffie was fiddling with the handle of one.

"Maybe there's someone hiding in here?" she said quietly. "If only I could get this door op-"

She stopped abruptly as the door swung open. A second later, she shrieked shrilly, running to the opposite side of the hallway and pressing herself against the wall. The others followed her as a bunch of scurrying furry things scrambled across the floor.

"Ugh rats..." Elena whispered weakly yet disgustedly.

When the rats had passed, they all exchanged confused and slightly disgusted glances.

"Why are there rats?" Reno asked.

Cloud, Elena, Yuffie, and Barret just shrugged but Rude spoke up grimly.

"Something is feeding them..." he said.

His words caused shivers to crawl up the spines of the others as they considered the gruesome possibilities of his words. Yuffie's nose was wrinkled up in disgust, but her eyes were big with fear. The other's while not quite as expressive as Yuffie, were beginning to feel fear seep into them. Cloud shook his head.

"There's no reason to be scared." he told them firmly despite his own disgust. "Whatever is feeding the rats... is no longer a threat to us."

The others nodded to show they understood, and tried to regain composure. They walked to the heavy double doors of Kale's office, apprehensive about what they would find inside. They all readied their weapons. Cloud opened the doors.

The first thing that hit them when they walked in the office was the smell. They gagged loudly hands immediately pulling their shirts over their noses, doing anything the muffle the smell.

"Lights!" Cloud gasped, feeling sick.

There was a muffled scrambling behind him and then suddenly the office was filled with light. Reno gave a strangled shout as he realized that he was standing barely a foot away from a decaying body. Yuffie had both hands pressed over her mouth, her weapon dropped to the ground forgotten. Barret and Rude just shook their heads, looking sickened. Elena had shut her eyes, face covered with her jacket.

"Let's get _out _of here!" Yuffie choked.

The others seemed to agree with her, and Cloud had to admit that it was a tempting idea, but they couldn't leave until they were sure.

The other's watched Cloud disbelievingly as he strode up to Kale's desk. Kale was slumped over it, unmoving. When he was close enough to reach out and touch him, Cloud stopped. With the tip of his sword Cloud lifted up Kale's torso.

The other's let out a simultaneous moan as they saw Kale's face and Cloud let him fall back down to the desk. He turned away, nausea creeping up his throat.

They now knew what the rats had been eating.

"Let's get out of here." Cloud managed to choke out.

He didn't have to tell them twice. They scrambled out the door as quickly as they could, and Cloud could hear them gasping for clean air as he followed them. Before he closed the door behind him, he gave the room one last glance over. _This is awful..._ he thought, sickened. _How could anyone let things get this bad?_ He pushed the door shut slightly, but stopped as he noticed an envelope sitting in the doorway. He picked it up, and slammed the doors closed.

Everyone was leaning against the wall opposite the door, breathing air in big gulps, still looking slightly green.

"That was _sick_!" Yuffie groaned, making an involuntary retching noise.

The other's nodded; they didn't seem to want to risk opening their mouths. There was a long silence until Rude notices the envelope in Cloud's hand.

"What's that?" he asked, pointing.

Cloud held the envelope in both hands, examining it.

"I don't know..." he said. "I picked it off the floor."

Reno snatched it out of his hand and looked at it, ignoring Cloud's glare as he did so.

"It's a message to President Kale." Reno said, ripping the envelope open.

"Heidegger must have been delivering it..." Elena stated as Reno's eyes scanned the message. "That's why he was up here."

Everyone was watching Reno.

"Well what's it say?" Barret asked impatiently.

Reno's eyes flicked back and forth.

"New weapon... blah, blah..." he read. "It blows stuff up..."

Cloud and the others grunted impatiently

"Okay, okay..." Reno said, putting his hand up defensively. "Just give me a minute."

His eyes scanned farther down the letter, and all the sudden, his entire body stiffened, and his face was drained of color.

"What?" Cloud asked quickly.

"There's an attack tonight..." Reno answered, eyes glued to the paper. "All the SOLIDERS were ordered to take the new weapon and execute an attack on..."

Reno looked up from the paper and gave Cloud a frightened stare. Cloud felt as though his stomach had dropped to his feet.

"Stop looking at me like that." he said, mouth dry. "Where are they attacking Reno?"

Reno opened his mouth, but nothing came out. Heart hammering out of control, Cloud reach towards the paper.

"Cosmo Canyon!" Reno blurted out as Cloud ripped the paper from his grasp. "They're attacking Cosmo Canyon any minute now."

The paper floated to floor.


	33. Chapter Thirty Three

"_Since I was a man,_

_such sheets of fire, such bursts of torrid thunder_

_such groans of roaring wind and rain, I never_

_remember to have heard."_

_William Shakespeare_

The clock in the kitchen now read two thirty. Marlene was now dozing lightly on Tifa's shoulder. Tifa and Elmyra were now staring into their empty mugs in silence. It had been the longest night in Tifa's memory. She closed her eyes and listened to the slow persistent ticking of the clock. _I just want this night to be over..._ she thought exhaustedly. She heard Elmyra sigh and she opened her eyes.

"Why don't you two go to bed?" Elmyra suggested gently.

Marlene sleepily lifted her head off Tifa's shoulder.

"I'm not sleepy yet..." she murmured, squinting up at them through drowsy eyes.

Tifa smiled and pushed Marlene's brown hair out of her face.

"Ms. Elmyra's right..." she said softly. "We better try to go sleep."

Tifa hauled herself wearily to her feet, carefully supporting herself under her stomach. For the first time in her entire pregnancy, she felt weary beyond measure. Before she was pregnant, she could stay up all night without yawning once, like they did when they fought Sephiroth. She felt slightly frustrated that she could barely stand up now without her entire body screaming in protest.

"Tifa?" Elmyra asked, her worried tone causing Tifa's eyes to snap up. "Are you alright?"

Tifa managed a thin nod and a smile. Elmyra gave her a doubtful look and began cleaning up their dishes.

"Do you want help with that?" Tifa offered.

Elmyra shook her head firmly and grabbed a mug out of Tifa's hands. She placed a hand on Tifa's shoulder and patted it motherly.

"Go to bed now." she said softly. "Everything will be fine in the morning, you'll see."

Tifa nodded, too tired to smile, and took Marlene's hand. The little girl hung onto it sleepily as Tifa led her down the hallway. Tifa pushed open the door to Marlene's room, and smiled at the mess of covers on the bed. It looked as though Marlene had been tossing and turning as bad as herself.

Marlene obligingly got into her bed, snuggling under the tangle of blankets. Tifa sat on the bed beside her, gently smoothing out the covers. Marlene's eyes were already closed. Tifa slowly stood up to go to her own room.

"Tifa?" Marlene said sleepily. "You can sleep in my room tonight if you want."

Tifa opened her mouth to say she'd be fine by herself, but then she realized that she'd be lying if she said that. She nodded at Marlene.

"Okay," she said softly. "I'll just go grab my pillows, alright?"

With surprising quickness for someone who had appeared so sleepy seconds before, Marlene hopped out of bed.

"I'll get them Tifa!" she offered cheerfully.

"That's alright..." Tifa told Marlene, smiling. "I can get them my-"

But Marlene cut her off with an amusingly stern look she'd picked up from Elmyra.

"You can wait on the bed!" Marlene told Tifa, pointing her finger emphatically. "Papa and Cloud said it's _my_ job to make sure you're comfortable, and I_ promised _them I would, okay?"

Tifa turned her head quickly so Marlene wouldn't see the tears that had sprung up in her eyes. She waited until the door had swung shut behind the little girl to lay down on the bed, but even then, she didn't allow any tears to soak into the pillow. _Cloud..._ she thought, throat aching with unshed tears. _I promised I'd be strong... _She choked back the tears.

Tifa stole a quick glance at the softly glowing digital numbers on the clock. _They should be done now..._ she thought, heart quickening at the thought. _It's probably all over now and Cloud and the others are on their way back home... soon this will all be a bad memory. _

With this thought, Tifa determinately closed her eyes attempting to get some sleep. Moment later, Marlene padded in and curled up in the bed next to her. Tifa smiled and moved over as far as she could; she noted with amusement that Marlene could barely squeeze in with Tifa and the round curve of her stomach. But they managed it, and both their eyes closed slowly as they caught their first fleeting moments of sleep all night.

It would be almost an hour before they heard the first explosions.

* * *

The small group froze in horror as the words burst free of Reno's mouth. It seemed as though for a moment, no one breathed or blinked... it was as if their very hearts stopped beating. Cloud's hands hadn't moved from where they were when he reached out to rip the paper from Reno's grasp. Now the whole group focused their eyes on him, fear written across their faces.

There was a frighteningly blank look on his face as his arms fell to his sides, staring ahead unblinkingly. Yuffie's eyes darted from face to face in the group, waiting for someone to speak up and take charge, but everyone was still frozen. Her eyes nervously flicked to Barret. Like Cloud, there was a blaze of furious emotions behind the blank look on his face. Yuffie thought she might explode from the tension.

"Guys?" she blurted out, unable to stay quiet any longer.

Their eyes snapped to her immediately. The looks on their faces scared her. She could bear the Turk's looks of helplessness, even Barret's mounting fear and desperation, but it was the look on Cloud's face that made her throat dry up. It was a look similar to the one he had on his face when Aeris died...But it was much worse than that... his eyes were almost teetering on the edge of insanity, as they had been when he mind was lost to Mako poisoning. ...

"What's the plan?" Rude asked.

His voice was steady and deep as always. Yuffie let out a silent sigh of relief as everyone turned their focus away from her. She quickly looked to Barret and they exchanged a knowing look full of dread. Despite Barret's fear for his daughter, he too could see what Yuffie saw; Cloud was close to breaking.

"Cloud." Barret said hoarsely. "Snap outta it."

Cloud's eyes seemed to slide into focus a minute.

"We have to go." Barret said firmly, trying to block out the panic that was rising in his chest.

There was a moments pause, but to everyone's relief, Cloud finally nodded.

"You're right." Cloud said, shaking his head, as though to clear it. "There's still hope that..."

His voice died and everyone averted their eyes painfully as Cloud pressed his hands to his face.

"We'll stay here." Reno offered, his voice soft in a way that was awkward for Reno. "Me, Elena, and Rude will try to get a hold of Cid or someone... anyone."

The Turks rushed off to find a phone. Yuffie watched them go, her stomach beginning to feel sick with fear. She glanced at the two men on either side of her, frightened to see two of the strongest people she knew looking so helpless. She tugged on their arms.

"Come on..." she whispered weakly. "We have to go."

The two men nodded, and took off down the hall. As Yuffie struggled to keep up with their breakneck speed, she was fighting to control the panic. She followed Cloud and Barret's backs out into the dark night, and she realized that she was as frightened for them as she was for Tifa and Marlene.

* * *

When Tifa opened her eyes sleepily, she couldn't figure out what had woken her up. She slid her hands carefully over her stomach, but the baby was still. As she sat up in bed, she noticed that Marlene was awake too. The little girl rubbed her eyes sleepily and looked up at Tifa.

"Is it morning yet?" Marlene asked blearily.

Tifa pushed back Marlene's mussed hair and shook her head.

"Not yet..." she said softly. "Something must have woken us both up."

Marlene yawned and rolled out of bed, crossing the room to peer out the window. Tifa swung her legs over the side of the bed. She was strangely awake and alert. The window was open a crack, but all was eerily silent. Tifa found goosebumps covering her skin.

"Marlene, why don't you try to go back to sleep." Tifa suggested, motioning her over.

But Marlene wasn't listening; her upper body was leaning out the window.

"Marlene!" Tifa said, standing up as quickly as her burdened body would allow her to.

She walked up to Marlene, to pull her body back in, but Marlene's head whipped around, and she placed a finger to her lips.

"Tifa, do you hear that?" she whispered. "Listen!"

Marlene moved out of the way and allowed Tifa to stick her head out the window. She clung to Tifa's legs from behind. Tifa strained her ears against the silence, and finally she heard the noise. Every hair on her body stood up as she recognized it.

"It's the sound Mako reactors made..." Tifa whispered, more to herself than Marlene. "It sounds like energy being harvested... But what's making the noise?"

She frowned and closed the window tightly. Marlene shifted to her side, and looked out the window with her. Tifa gently rested one hand on the curve of her stomach and the other on Marlene's soft brown hair. She closed her eyes as shivers crawled up and down her spine.

"Tifa..." Marlene gasped, her little hands pressing against the glass.

The glass in the window was rattling wildly against its frame. Tifa felt her heart jump into her throat and quickly jerked Marlene away from the window.

"Tifa what-" Marlene asked, eyes wide with fear.

But her question was cut off as Tifa let out a strangled gasp and forced Marlene to the ground, pinning them both forcefully against the carpet. Then, the whole house was shaking.

Marlene clung tightly to Tifa on the floor, burying her face into the soft material of Tifa's nightgown, trying to muffle the sounds that were loud enough to make her clench her teeth. The little girl was almost wild with fear; the sound was all around them, as though their entire world was exploding.

And then, it stopped. Ears ringing, Marlene jumped her feet and looked to Tifa with fear and expectation. It took Tifa a considerably longer amount of time to get to her feet.

"Tifa?" Marlene whimpered, tugging on her nightgown. "What's going on?"

Tifa's grabbed Marlene's hand tightly between her own.

"We have to get out of here." she said, voice straining to be calm. "Now."

Marlene opened her mouth to protest, but Tifa was pulling her towards the bedroom door. Marlene stumbled, trying to keep up with Tifa's fast pace.

"Tifa, where are we going?" she squeaked, frightened.

Tifa didn't answer. They came into the living room and Tifa stopped abruptly, peering down the hall where Ms. Elmyra slept.

"Ms. Elmyra!" Tifa shouted. "Ms. Elmyra! We have to leave!"

Marlene clung tightly to Tifa arm, her lip beginning to quiver as she heard the note of fear in Tifa's voice. Tifa wrapped her other arm around Marlene, holding her close. The house was silent.

"Tifa?" Marlene whispered. "Where's Ms. Elmyra?"

Pressed up against Tifa side, Marlene could hear Tifa's heart pounding loudly. Under her little hands, she could feel the tiny fluttering kicks coming from Tifa's stomach. Marlene wondered if the baby was as scared as she and Tifa were. Tifa grimaced, and removed her hand from Marlene's shoulders to rub her stomach.

"Tifa, I'll go get Ms. Elmyra okay?" Marlene offered, moving away from her side.

But the house began to shake again, and Tifa's hands were pulling her to the ground again.

"Stay down, Marlene!" Tifa was shouting.

Despite Tifa's closeness, Marlene could barely hear her voice over the series of explosions that were causing the house to shake. She screamed as plaster began falling from the ceiling, hitting and bruising her and Tifa's backs. Tifa quickly pulled Marlene under her, protecting her from the falling debris.

And then, as soon as it had started, it stopped. Tifa sat up slowly and leaned her back against the destroyed sofa. Marlene stood up, hovering anxiously over her shoulder. Marlene's back hurt, and she was so scared she was shaking, but she forced herself not to cry. _Tifa's scared too..._ she thought, sniffling. _And_ she's_ not crying. _

Tifa seemed to notice Marlene's distressed state, and laboriously got to her feet. She placed a soft hand against her cheek.

"We have to be brave now, okay?" Tifa told Marlene. "I'm not going to let anything bad happen to you."

Marlene nodded, trying not to notice how Tifa's voice was quivering. Tifa squeezed her hand gently and looked around her. The entire living room was dusted with white plaster and debris. Tifa swallowed hard, and pulled Marlene behind her and they gingerly stepped across the room.

Tifa stopped in her tracks when she saw the doorknob move. She forced Marlene behind her. Her hands clenched into fists, but deep inside, she knew she was in no condition to fight.

The door swung open, and Reeve's face poked in, looking pale and disheveled. Tifa let out the breath she'd been holding in a sigh of relief.

"Reeve!" she said, walking towards him. "What's going on?"

Reeve kicked some rubble out of the way so he could force the door open. He ignored her question.

"Are you both okay?" he asked them.

Tifa nodded impatiently.

"We're _fine_." she assured him. "Please Reeve, what's going on? Why are we being attacked?"

Reeve could hear the pleading, frightened tone in Tifa's voice. He patted her gently on the shoulder.

"You have to worry about yourself now Tifa." he told her firmly. "We have no reason to believe anything went wrong with Cloud and the others."

Tifa's face was twisted with concern and fear, but she nodded silently.

"We have to get out Cosmo Canyon." Reeve said urgently. "Follow me."

Holding hands tightly, Marlene and Tifa followed Reeve to the door. But before they left, Tifa gasped and came to a stop.

"Reeve!" she said, grabbing onto his sleeve to stop him. "Ms. Elmyra's still in the house!"

Reeve pulled them both forward.

"Let me get you two outside first!" he said to Tifa when she resisted. "I'll go back in to find her."

Tifa allowed herself to be ushered out the door. Marlene gasped and clung to her side when they stumbled outside. Though the houses around them were more or less in tact, the rest of Cosmo Canyon was in disarray. Tifa's breath caught in her throat as she saw the flames. _Not again..._ she thought desperately. She found herself unable to move, even as the explosions started again.

"Tifa get down!" Reeve shouted, pulling her to the concrete.

Tifa curled up on the ground, Marlene clinging to her again. She felt Reeve's weight on top of both of them, shielding them from the explosions. Tifa squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for them to stop as they had the two previous times, but they didn't seem to be ending.

"Tifa, Marlene, Reeve!" Tifa heard a voice shouting from far away.

Reeve's head lifted up, wincing at the explosions that were all too close around them.

"Red!" he shouted, still holding Marlene and Tifa to the ground. "We're over here!"

Seconds later, Red's wet nose was nudging her face gently.

"Are you okay Tifa?" Red asked.

Tifa nodded and sat up slowly. Marlene sat up with her, clutching her hands to her ears against the loud explosions. Reeve reached a hand down to help them to their feet. Tifa let out a strangled cry as she saw Ms. Elmyra's house in flames. Marlene tried to spin around to see what caused her to cry out, but Tifa held pressed her face against her so she wouldn't be able to see.

"Let's go!" Reeve shouted over the explosions.

He grabbed Tifa's other hand and dragged her and Marlene behind him. Tifa eyes looked wildly around as she struggled to keep up with the fast pace. Amongst the flames of the surrounding houses, she could see the flame of Red's tail in front of them. She focused on it as they ran, blocking out the screams and explosions on every side.

Marlene screamed as the path they were just about to take exploded into flames. They skidded to a stop and Red ran around them, looking for a better path to take. Reeve let Tifa and Marlene go for a minute. With her spare hand, Tifa clutched her shirt over her mouth. Marlene did the same, her tiny body racked with coughs. The smoke was thick around them.

"Which way Red?" Reeve shouted, his own voice hoarse from the smoke.

"Over here!" Red shouted, motioning with his head.

The others ran after him quickly. Tifa came to a halt as she saw Red carefully jumping from rock to rock down one of the steep hills that were scattered across Cosmo Canyon. Reeve watched Red climb down the steep decline that led to yet another road far below them, and then glanced uneasily at Tifa's rounded stomach and then to the little girl clinging to her hand.

"It's the only way!" Red shouted urgently.

Red bounded up to them. Tifa took a stabilizing breath as she looked down the steep rocky hill.

"We'll manage." she told them, as another explosion shook Cosmo Canyon.

The steep hill was blocked off by a fence, and Reeve climbed carefully over it, turning around to help Tifa get over. Marlene nimbly climbed under. Red looked at Marlene, sizing her up.

"Marlene, come here." he commanded. "Climb on my back and hold on tight okay? I'm going to help you get down first."

Marlene looked up to Tifa, and Tifa managed a tight-lipped smile of encouragement. Tifa watched at the little girl climbed atop Red and clung tightly to his fur. Marlene let out a little scream as Red bounded down the first drop. Tifa looked down anxiously, but Marlene was still safely on his back.

Tifa turned to Reeve, and he offered her his hand. She took it, and supporting herself carefully under the stomach, they began the slow and difficult process of scaling down the steep decline.

At the bottom, Red jumped off the last boulder, and Marlene slid off his back, trembling. Her hands were still tightly gripping his fur as they looked up at Reeve and Tifa. Marlene let out a distressed cry as Tifa's foot slipped on a loose rock, and hid her face in Red's coat.

"She's okay, Marlene." Red's voice rumbled softly. "Reeve won't let Tifa fall."

Marlene looked up again, clinging to Red and whimpering quietly. Her eyes followed Reeve and Tifa, but she could hear the explosions around them. Red nudged her gently with his nose.

"Don't be scared." he comforted her. "Look, Reeve and Tifa are almost done. We'll be out of here soon."

Marlene ran over to Tifa as she reached the bottom and sunk to her knees, one hand on her forehead, the other on her stomach. Her face was pale and damp with sweat, her breath loud and labored. But when Marlene looked anxiously at her, Tifa pulled herself to her feet, reaching for her hand.

Red and Reeve were looking at Tifa, concerned, but she shook her head.

"I'm fine." she said weakly, still breathing heavily. "Let's go."

And they were off running again. Tifa forced her legs to move and keep up with Reeve and Red. There was another explosion, and the houses around her were ablaze. Everything was a blur of red flames and smoke around them as they raced down the streets. Between explosions, they could hear the screams of the people as they ran out of their burning homes.

Tifa tried to control her breathing as they continued running, but her breaths came in panicked and desperate gulps. Even Marlene was going faster than her, her small hand yanking Tifa's forward. There was another explosion close behind them, and Tifa strained to keep up.

Then, the street right behind them exploded into rubble and flames. Reeve, Red, Tifa, and Marlene all fell to the ground. Asphalt rained down on them, battering their bodies. Tifa cried out and wrapped her arms around herself as she felt a sharp blow of rock to her side.

Several feet away, Reeve had flung himself over Marlene. As the explosion ended, he squinted through the smoke and debris. He could see Tifa curled tightly in a ball. His throat dried in panic when she seemed unmoving, but she slowly came into a sitting position. Reeve stood up quickly and pulled Marlene to her feet. The little girl was bruised and bleeding from her lip, but she stuck chin out defyingly, and not a single tear trailed down her face.

They ran over to Tifa and knelt at her side.

"Are you okay?" Reeve asked loudly, lifting Tifa to her feet.

Tifa nodded silently. Reeve felt dread sweep through him as he saw the blood glistening on her hair, and the way her arms wrapped firmly around her bulging stomach. Tifa's face was drawn with pain. She leaned on him and Marlene heavily as they walked through the street rubble, looking for Red.

They noticed the red fur after a few moments, and Marlene broke away from Tifa and Reeve to run forward. The little girl let out a cry as she saw that Red was pinned under several tons of fallen asphalt. She put her hand gently on Red's muzzle, damp with blood, bottom lip quivering.

"Don't cry Marlene."

She jumped as Red spoke. Marlene smiled joyfully and threw her arms around his neck.

"I thought you were-" she cried.

Red cut her off.

"Not quite." he assured her gently.

Reeve and Tifa knelt behind Marlene. Tifa pressed a hand to her mouth, eyes glistening with tears as she saw Red.

"Oh Red..." she whispered, voice quivering.

Her hands weakly pushed at the asphalt crushing his bottom half. Reeve went to help her, but Red shook his head grimly.

"Don't." he told them firmly. "There's no point."

Tifa put a shaky hand on his bloody fur.

"We can't leave you Red..." she said tearfully.

Red looked up at her, and noticed how she swayed slightly as she knelt at his side. _She won't last much longer..._ he thought painfully. He thought of Cloud's proud smile when Red had seen him sitting on the bench next to his beautiful, pregnant wife several days ago, and he turned to Reeve.

"Get Tifa and Marlene out of here." he commanded. "You're wasting time."

Reeve patted Red's fur once and nodded, turning away, face distraught. He pulled Tifa to her feet gently, and she obliged, too weak to resist. Marlene was still clinging to Red, but Red snapped his jaw at her, and she sprung to her feet, wrapping her arms around Tifa's middle and helping Reeve support her.

They moved away as quick as they could, and each step was torture. The pain in Tifa's heart overtook the pain in her body and she wrestled back a dry sob. _I promised Cloud I'd be strong..._ she reminded herself for the second time that night. She gritted her teeth and continued forward.

The explosions were all around them, closer than ever, but to Tifa, they seemed as though they were coming from far away. The flames and smoke burnt her lungs, but even they felt distant, as they felt when she had nightmares about Nibelheim. Another explosion shook the ground beneath them and Marlene and Reeve shouted out as the flames scorched their skin,but Tifa was silent, her eyes glazed as she stared ahead.

_There's the wall..._ Tifa thought, her mind foggy. She could just see it through the smoke and flames. A smile tugged at her weary lips, and for a minute she was transported back in time, to the night she and Cloud had snuck out to the cliff, when the wall was barely knee high. The explosions now seemed to be miles away.

Then they were at the wall. Reeve let go of her to move the stones aside to make an opening, and she fell to the ground. Marlene's voice was crying out next to her ear, but Tifa couldn't decipher what she was saying. Then Reeve's hands were under her arms, lifting her up. She felt herself being dragged through the hole in the wall. The pain in her body seemed dull, as though it was an old ache from long ago.

Tifa sunk to the ground again, oblivious to Marlene and Reeve crying out her name. The last thing she was aware of before she lost consciousness, was her baby kicking deep in her womb.


End file.
